Sage Monarch

by Stayrr

Yang Qi was the son of the patriarch of a wealthy family from a small town. Believing himself to be in love, he stole a pill for his lover, only to have the girl betray him, by taking the pill and leaving him behind. Caught, his dantian was crippled and left to die under the lightning. This lightning helped him to recover his lost martial arts and also helped him gain a new, divi

1. 1

Chapter 1: Befuddled by Love

Sage Monarch

Energy is the essence of all life.

Energy arts are the means by which to cultivate the essence of life.

Reaching the peak of cultivation brings a host of fantastic and amazing abilities.

Energy arts experts could break walls with their hands, hear sounds as quiet as the footsteps of an ant, walk on water, breathe fire, become impervious to all sorts of weapons, fuse their energy with the clouds, sustain themselves by absorbing energy instead of eating food, and even track enemies by locking down onto their souls….

Rich-Lush Continent. Yanhaven.[1]

It was a populous and affluent place; despite it being nighttime, streams of horses and carriages could be seen on the streets, and the city was bathed with bright lamplight.

It was midsummer, and dark clouds filled the night sky. The muffled rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance, and from the dense humidity in the air, it seemed rain would begin to fall soon.

In a relatively remote corner of the city, the ground suddenly shuddered, and then a hole exploded into being.

A young man leaped out of the hole, as agile as a cat. He appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years of age, was dressed head to toe in black clothing, and was carrying an exquisitely crafted box.

This young man was Yang Qi who, like many others, cultivated energy arts. [2] [3]

Advertisements

He was a young master from the aristocratic Yang Clan of Yanhaven. He was also relatively famous within the city as a powerful master of energy arts. He wasn't very old, and wasn't necessarily tall and well-built. But from his every move and action, it was obvious the mysterious energy flowing through him was ready to erupt out at any moment.

As he stood there at the edge of the hole, he circulated his energy, and intense rumbling sounds could be heard, shocking to the extreme.

"I guess it won't be long before I reach the fifth phase of energy arts, the Energy Eruption level. Then I'll be able to cast my true energy outside of my body. That will make me a real expert! My progress will be incredible!" [4]

He glanced back at the towering city wall, looking very pleased at having circumvented it the way he did. Then he blurred into motion, disappearing like a black panther into the dark forest surrounding the city.

Yang Qi had long since cultivated his energy arts to the fourth phase, the Energy Refinement level.

On the Rich-Lush Continent, experts who cultivated energy arts divided them into nine phases.

First was Energy Growth, in which one built up energy in the body.

Second was Energy Circulation, in which one sent vital energy flowing through one's meridian channels.

Third was Energy Convergence, when the vital energy was gathered in a central location, the sea of energy.

Fourth was Energy Refinement, in which the gathered vital energy was refined and purified.

Fifth was Energy Eruption. In that phase, one could use energy arts externally to harm enemies.

The first four phases—Absorption, Circulation, Convergence, and Refinement—were all internal, and although they could be used to strengthen one's body, did little else. Upon reaching the fifth phase, Energy Eruption, one's body was completely transformed, making it possible to unleash energy arts in combat.

Only upon reaching the Energy Eruption level, could one be considered to be a truly powerful expert.

Thus, the fifth phase was considered a major watershed point in the cultivation of energy arts.

In that level, it was possible to unleash the Hundred Paces Divine Fist, a technique that could inflict damage a hundred paces away, even to the point of shattering trees. Such battle prowess was so extraordinary that one person who wielded it could defeat a hundred who could not.

The sixth phase was called the Energy Weapon level, in which one could use energy to form corporeal weapons.

The seventh level was the Energy Manifestation level. In that phase, energy arts could be used to summon ferocious beasts, or wings that could send one flying through the sky.

The eighth phase, Energy Incarnation, led to an ability called Mind Incarnation, in which the practitioner could create a defensive energy barrier of nearly impenetrable strength.

The ninth phase was called the Master of Energy level. Unfortunately, Yang Qi was very unlikely to ever become such a grandmaster of energy arts.

According to the rumors, experts in the Master of Energy level could eventually seize life from the heavens, and thus reach the Lifeseizing level. Lifeseizers essentially experienced a rebirth, and would acquire a lifespan multiple times longer than ordinary energy arts practitioners. Yang Qi had never even seen a person like that.

After running through the forest for a short time, Yang Qi caught sight of a young woman in an azure garment, standing there proudly, her back to him.

"Lan'er!" he called out. "I got the Latent Dragon Pill! It wasn't easy, but thanks to my connections in the city, I managed to get into the city magistrate's mansion, break into his treasure-house, and steal the pill!"

Looking excitedly at the young woman, he held out the crafted box he had been carrying this entire time.

The young woman turned, revealing a spectacularly beautiful face.

"So, Yang Qi, you finally succeeded." Reaching out with fingers as beautiful as ivory, she said, "Hand it over so I can take a look."

"Alright." Without the slightest hesitation, Yang Qi handed the box to the young woman.

She took it, then opened it to reveal a fiery-red medicinal pill. A medicinal aroma immediately filled the area, and the pill itself seemed to flicker as if with flames, casting red light onto the young woman's face, making her look even more attractive than before.

"Okay, Lan'er," Yang Qi said. "I got you the Latent Dragon Pill. Now we can run off together like you promised, right? Come on, let's get going."

"I'm sorry, Yang Qi," she said, tucking the box away into her garment. Looking at him coldly, she continued, "I have an important matter to attend to, so I won't be running off with you. In fact, don't ever bring up the subject again."

Her words struck him like a lightning bolt falling from blue skies.

Staggering backward a few paces, his face draining of blood, he said, "Lan'er, I put myself in great danger for you! I stole a Latent Dragon Pill from the city magistrate's mansion, all because you said we would run off together. Now you're changing your mind? Why? Why would you do something like this?"

Suddenly, a voice sounded out, "How about I explain?" A moment later, a figure emerged from the darkness of the forest. He was a handsome young man, tall and strapping, clad in a suit of armor. From the way he looked down his nose at Yang Qi, it was obvious how much of an arrogant and haughty person he was.

"Do you really think that Lan'er, a stunning princess of Yundale-by-the-Sea, would care about a little punk from the Yang Clan? Your clan might be important in Yanhaven, but let me tell you this: Not even the princes of Yanhaven would think of trying to pursue Lan'er. Sheusedyou! Understand, you naive fool? You know the saying aboutthe ugly toad lusting after the swan? That's you!" [5]

"Is all this true, Lan'er?" Yang Qi asked, his face ashen, but still holding onto whatever faint scraps of hope still existed in his heart.

However, the next thing Lan'er said crushed that hope out of existence.

Face incomparably cold, she said, "It's true, Yang Qi. I used you to get the Latent Dragon Pill. That having been said, I don't want to hurt you, so why don't you just leave."

"You…." Yang Qi was trembling, and his hands and feet were already as cold as ice. "How could you be like this, Lan'er? Go? Where am I supposed to go to? I stole a Latent Dragon Pill! I can't go back home, and the guards from Yanhaven are probably already chasing after me. How about you at least give the Latent Dragon Pill back to me, and we call it even?"

The young man in the armor laughed coldly. "Give it back to you? Quit dreaming, punk. Who in their right mind would spit their meat out after taking a bite? Beat it. If you even think about stirring up trouble, I'll make you regret it…."

"You…." Without any warning, Yang Qi suddenly exploded into action. As powerful as a tiger, and as lithe as a snake, he lunged at the armored young man, his hands swinging through the air with axe-like viciousness.

"Corpse-Chomping White Tiger!" he shouted, immediately resorting to a deadly energy art move unique to the Yang Clan. At its highest level, this energy art could be used to summon an enormous white tiger, fiendish to the extreme and strong enough to reduce any enemy to nothing more than a corpse. Of course, Yang Qi was far from being able to use it in that way.

"Looking to die?" the armored young man said, his eyes flickering with scorn.

Whoosh!

A transparent wave of energy shot out from his hand, slamming into Yang Qi. Before he could even fully execute his Corpse-Chomping White Tiger, he was slammed into the ground, where he vomited up a mouthful of blood.

Eyes shining with shock, he looked up and said, "You're in the fifth phase of energy arts, the Energy Eruption level…."

"That's right," the armored young man replied. "To me, you're like nothing more than an ant. "Corpse-Chomping White Tiger is a deadly move, but when you use it, you look like a kid play-fighting with his friends."

Yang Qi struggled to his feet. Eyes flickering with hatred, he said, "Who are you…?"

"I'm Song Haishan, Lan'er's older cousin. Only a few days ago, she was accepted to be an advanced disciple in the number one organization in Rich-Lush Continent, the Demi-Immortal Institute. Do you know how important that makes her? You really think you have any hope of getting close to her? Wait… did you ask who I was because you think you're going to come after me for revenge? Hm. As the saying goes,if you cut the grass but not the root, it will grow again when the spring breeze blows. I guess letting you go free isn't really an option." [6]

Even as the words were leaving his mouth, Song Haishan's energy began to build up inside of him.

"So," Yang Qi growled, "you're the one they call the best of the best in Yundale-by-the-Sea. Well, I'm still going to kill you. And as for you, Yun Hailan, you lied to me, and I swear that one day, I'm going to pay you back for that." [7]

"Seems leaving you alive is definitely the wrong thing to do…." Song Haishan growled, preparing to take action.

"Enough, cousin," Yun Hailan said, reaching out to block his path. Then she looked in the direction of Yanhaven. "The guards are already on their way. There's no reason to kill him. Come on, let's go…." With that, she vanished into the night, leaving behind a single sentence. "After I'm a disciple at the Demi-Immortal Institute, Yang Qi, I'll make this up to you."

Song Haishan looked at Yang Qi with a sneer. "Hmph. Looks like you get to live a bit longer, punk. Lan'er doesn't want you dead because she doesn't want your blood on her hands. Fine. But the city magistrate of Yanhaven isn't going to let you off the hook. So you won't be alive for much longer regardless."

Chuckling in sinister fashion, he turned to follow Yun Hailan.

"Yun Hailan…." Yang Qi murmured. Spitting out some blood, he looked in the direction into which she and Song Haishan had just vanished, fully aware that they were far superior to him in terms of energy arts.

Suddenly, he thought back to everything that had led up to this point. In the course of helping with the clan business, he had encountered Yun Hailan, whom he had fallen for at first sight. She treated him with tenderness and compassion for a time, whereupon she asked for his help to get the Latent Dragon Pill. He had pondered the matter for some time before making his decision. And now, here he was.

As he stood there, he circulated his energy arts and tried to decide what to do. He knew that the city guards of Yanhaven were coming for him. He had brought humiliation to his clan, and would surely be severely punished if he were caught.

As he was trying to recover, he suddenly heard voices. And then, only a moment later, several figures appeared in front of him.

One of them was a man wearing a suit of cold-forged iron armor that weighed no less than a hundred pounds, making him look like a vicious beast. As soon as Yang Qi saw that armored man, his heart sank into despair.

He was Luo Hun, one of the special guards from the city magistrate's mansion, a brutal and fierce man whose cultivation had long since surpassed the Energy Eruption level. [8]

"Hand over the Latent Dragon Pill you stole, Yang Qi. If you do, I'll spare your life…."

Luo Hun's eyes glittered like an animal's, not a human's, and his cold-forged iron armor radiated a powerful killing aura. Not waiting for a response, he stepped forward and struck Yang Qi's dantian region with a palm strike, aiming directly at his sea of energy.

Yet again, blood sprayed out of Yang Qi's mouth as the energy arts he had cultivated from the age of five to eighteen were crippled.

"You… crippled my energy arts…?" A look of complete despair overtook his face. With the sea of energy in his dantian region destroyed, it would be impossible for him to converge energy. Henceforth, he would be doomed to be nothing more than an ordinary person.

"You had the audacity to steal a Latent Dragon Pill," Luo Hun said coldly. "Crippling your energy arts is actually letting you off a bit lightly. Because you're a young master of the Yang Clan, and also for the sake of your aunt, I won't put you to death immediately. Men, tie him up against that tree. I'm going back to the city to report to the magistrate and get new orders. Stay here and preserve the scene of the crime. I'll have some people from the Yang Clan come out to take a look at the situation."

"Yes sir," replied the other special guards. Without any hesitation, they tied Yang Qi up against a nearby tree, and then began to patrol the area.

As for Luo Hun, it didn't matter that he was wearing a suit of cold-forged iron armor that weighed over a hundred pounds. He sped into motion like a bird taking flight, heading directly back toward Yanhaven.

Around then, numerous bolts of lightning began to crackle in the dark sky above. The rain that had been brewing all this time seemed to have reached a boiling point, and began to fall, joined by the lightning, which looked like silver snakes lashing at the ground.

"This rain is really heavy," said one of the guards, looking up nervously. "And what's with all the lightning?"

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning smashed into a distant tree, causing it to burst into flame despite the heavy rain. The sight of so much lightning falling within the rain was truly a frightening sight.

Looking completely frightened, another guard said, "This lightning really seems strange. I've never seen anything like it. I've heard that not even people in the Master of Energy level can survive being struck by heavenly lightning like this. If we stay in this forest, we're going to get killed! Let's get out of here!"

"What about this little punk?"

"Don't worry, his martial arts have been crippled. Besides, he's all tied up. How could he possibly escape? Flying?"

Shivering in fear, the guards turned and fled.

However, even as they made their way out of the trees, a brilliantly shining bolt of lightning fell into the forest and smashed into the tree upon which Yang Qi had been bound.

Instantly, Yang Qi's entire body filled with glittering electricity. Then, the smell of burning flesh filled the air.

1. Yanhaven/Rich-Lush: The Yan means "swallow (bird)". As will be revealed shortly, there is also a clan of the same name, which is why I'm not translating this character in the name of the city. When it comes to the cities in this novel, I am doing something a bit different from my other translations. Instead of simply translating them as something like Yan City, I'm going to use some common suffixes for most cities, such as -haven, -forth, -ville, etc. The reason for this is that using the word "city" in the actual name of city is not very common in English. Although there is a New York City in America, most other cities have a single proper noun as their name. That's the standard I'm aiming for in this story. In terms of "Rich-Lush" I understand that it sounds a bit odd, but there is a reason I'm translating it that way.

2. Yang Qi: Yang is a common surname which also means "poplar tree". Qi means "extraordinary, astonishing, wonderful, rare, surprising, etc." It's pronounced "yawng chee".

3. "Energy arts" is both the name of a broad cultivation level, and also the term to describe the "arts" practice within that overarching level. For all intents and purposes, "energy arts" is synonymous with "martial arts", although both terms do get used.

Advertisements

4. There is a reason why this type of energy is called 'true' energy, although the explanation won't come for many, many chapters.

5. Yundale-by-the-Sea: Yun means cloud.

6. Song Haishan: Song is a common surname. Hai means "sea" and Shan means "mountain".

7. Yun Hailan: Yun means "cloud" and Hai means "sea". Lan means "mountain mist, mountain haze, vapour, etc."

8. Luo Hun: Luo is a really complicated character that can mean a lot of things. In addition to being a surname, it can mean "sieve, silk gauze, to collect, to spread out, to catch, to gather, to sift. It is also found in a lot of transliterated religious terms. It is also part of the term "Allheaven" from my previous translations. Hun means soul, specifically the "spiritual soul".

Sage Monarch

Yang Qi couldn't have been more demoralized.

With a single palm strike, Luo Hun crippled his sea of energy, destroying his energy arts and ensuring that his cultivation base had no hope of ever progressing.

And who could ever have guessed that he would then have the misfortune of being struck by lightning?

As the mighty lightning bolt slammed into the tree, and then him, his eyes felt like they were going to explode, forcing him to close them.

'Am I going to die?' he thought. 'Well, I guess that would be good. Then I wouldn't have to endure being a laughingstock the rest of my life.'

As the lightning entered his body, he felt unprecedented pain and heat, as though millions upon millions of blades were slicing into his flesh and bones.

However, he didn't die. The power of the lightning ripped through his muscles, his skeleton, and his meridians, eventually causing a vortex to spring up in his dantian region.

As a result, his destroyed sea of energy suddenly underwent strange and bizarre transformations. The spiraling electricity began to assume a shape, until it looked like a violent, berserk mammoth, almost dragon-like in its ferocity.

If anyone had been able to witness what was happening inside of him, they would have seen what looked like an enormous mammoth made of lightning, trumpeting like mad.

The lightning did not dissipate; it coursed down through the tree into Yang Qi, causing the tree to burst into flame.

Advertisements

Eventually, Yang Qi saw a tiny golden person in the lightning, who flew directly into his forehead. After that, his mind felt like it was bulging on the verge of exploding, whereupon he passed out.

The guards, who were out of the forest by this time, were all visibly taken aback. They were close enough to have clearly seen the lightning striking the tree and catching it on fire. And they could even see Yang Qi slumped down into the mud, seemingly dead.

"What do we do now?" said one of the guards.

"Him getting struck by lightning doesn't have anything to do with us," said another.

"You go back to the city to report the matter to the exalted Luo Hun. The kid committed an unforgivable crime, but he does come from a rich and powerful clan, after all. If he dies like this and the matter isn't handled properly, it could cause big problems in Yanhaven."

One of the other guards immediately turned to run back to the city.

However, before he could take more than a few steps, he saw a hulking figure up ahead, clad in metal armor.

Breaking out in a cold sweat, the guard flopped down into the mud. "Luo Hun, sir!"

"Struck dead by lightning…?" Luo Hun muttered, his eyes flashing like an animal's as he walked up to Yang Qi. Reaching out with his hand, he sent a stream of energy into Yang Qi, only to find nothing unusual. His meridians and sea of energy were still destroyed, and his body was charred and blackened. "He was injured by the lightning strike, and his meridians and sea of energy are completely destroyed. But he's alive."

"Really?"

Even as Luo Hun inspected Yang Qi, a handful of men strode up, clad in luxuriously-tailored garments. They were important people from Yanhaven, one of which had long white hair, and seemed to be a steward from one of the clans in the city. After examining Yang Qi, he said, "Well, now we don't have to bring this punk back for questioning. And we certainly don't have to execute him. Send him back to the Yang Clan, and while you're at it, send them this message from the city magistrate:because a Yang Clan delinquent stole a Latent Dragon Pill, the Yang Clan will provide full compensation, even if they have to sell every last belonging."

"Yes sir!" The guards grabbed Yang Qi and began to drag him back to Yanhaven.

The night passed quickly, and soon, it was a bright, sunny day.

The violent storm the night before had destroyed a lot of crops and livestock, and the mighty Yan River outside of the city had flooded. But now, the rain was passed, and the temperature was already rising.

The Yang Clan, one of the most rich and powerful clans in Yanhaven, was completely abuzz. Servants scurried back and forth, the special guards were on high alert, and the servant girls, handmaidens, and older female servants were whispering amongst themselves in every corner of the clan.

A sharp-tongued old woman was currently in the middle of giving a vivid account of what had occurred, and although she tried to keep her voice down, it was impossible for her to hide her gloating smirk.

"Something major is going down for our Yang Clan, did you hear? Last night, Clan Lord Yang Zhan's son Yang Qi stole a treasure from the city magistrate. He got beat up half to death, had his energy arts crippled, and was bound to a tree. Then he got struck by lightning! After they brought him back, he lay in bed all night, struggling to breathe. He could die at any moment…." [1]

Next to speak was one of the more faithful servants to the clan. "That's right. And the city magistrate issued an ultimatum. The Yang Clan has three days to pay back the price of the stolen treasure, which means that the clan is going to go almost completely bankrupt…."

Many of the young servant girls were completely bowled over by that news. "The clan's going to go bankrupt? How will we ever recover?"

"What about the other rich and powerful clans? Chen, Wang, Hong, and Li? They've never liked our Yang Clan, and will definitely jump at the chance to hit us while we're down."

"Yeah, the Yang Clan is in big trouble this time. That silkpants Yang Qi didn't think at all about what he was doing, and ended up causing a huge disaster.Heh heh. His father Yang Zhan is the clan lord, but I bet his position isn't going to be very stable after this."

"Someone who works for the city magistrate told me that Yang Qi did it for a girl. That's why he stole the treasure."

"Bah! Silkpants like him are the most wicked scoundrels of all. They always cause problems!" One of the servants even went so far as to say, "It's good thing his energy arts were crippled. Without any martial arts, he'll be completely useless."

Some of the servants were gloating in Yang Qi's misfortune, others worried about the future of the clan, and some even cursed Yang Qi.

Meanwhile, in a courtyard in the middle of the clan, which was nested in a maze of corridors and verandas, a tall, well-built man in brocaded clothing stood listening to a report about the situation.

A doctor was currently speaking. "Lord, Young Master Yang Qi has been stabilized. But he suffered burns across almost his entire body. His meridians were destroyed and his sea of energy shattered. His martial arts were completely crippled! He's going to be handicapped for the rest of his life!"

"Crippled his martial arts?" Yang Zhan said. "Destroyed his sea of energy…?"

BANG!

A massive palm strike smashed a nearby table into bits.

Splinters whistled through the air like wailing ghosts, many of them embedding into the ground nearby.

"The Yang Clan can compensate for a lost Latent Dragon Pill," Yang Zhan continued, fuming. "But why did they have to cripple my son's energy arts? Even cutting his arm off would have been better. With a limb lost, but his energy arts intact, he could still become a top expert. With crippled energy arts, he'll never be able to converge energy."

Also present was the clan steward. "Lord, what's done is done. There's nothing we can do about it now. The critical matter at hand is that the city magistrate has demanded compensation for the Latent Dragon Pill. I'm afraid the chief elders won't just stand by while the clan goes bankrupt. Someone is definitely going to take advantage of this situation to try to seize power…."

Yang Zhan snorted coldly. "Remember why I was able to seize the position of clan lord to begin with? It wasn't by plotting, scheming and building alliances. It was because my energy arts and cultivation base were unmatchable. And that's how things will remain. Let's see if any of them are strong enough to take me out. Notify the chief elders that we're going to have a clan forum in three days. We'll talk things out with the subsidiary branches and figure out what to do. The city magistrate has given us enough time to raise the necessary money."

"Yes, sir," the steward said, nodding. He turned to leave, then stopped and asked, "What about Young Master Yang Qi? Considering the trouble he's caused, the chief elders definitely won't let him off the hook."

"His martial arts were crippled and he was struck by lightning!" Yang Zhan said angrily. "Not even the city magistrate is interested in him. What are the chief elders going to do? Have him executed? If anybody dares to suggest laying a hand on my son, I won't take the matter lying down. Another thing: I'm going to write a letter that I want delivered to Yang Qi's aunt in the Demi-Immortal Institute."

The steward's eyes brightened. "Right! How could I have forgotten that we have the Young Lady on our side?"

The Young Lady he referred to was Yang Zhan's adoptive sister, and thus Yang Qi's aunt. She was a member of the number one most domineering organization on the Rich-Lush Continent, the Demi-Immortal Institute, which gave her a very different identity than in the past. She had been away from the Yang Clan for ten years, and was spectacularly talented. After all, she had been tutored in cultivation by one of the elders of the Demi-Immortal Institute since she was very young.

"Divine Doctor Cao, how badly is Qi'er hurt?" Yang Zhan asked. "Is there any medicine that can wake him up? Your medical expertise is spoken of everywhere in Yanhaven. You must know of a way to treat his injuries."

"I've applied a topical ointment," the doctor replied, "and used my energy arts to perform a medical massage. He should be back on his feet in a few days. His organs weren't damaged, just his meridians and sea of energy. Of course, he won't be able to practice cultivation after this."

"Give ten energy convergence pills to Divine Doctor Cao as a reward," Yang Zhan said, waving his hand. "When Qi'er wakes up, I'll call for you again, doctor."

Energy convergence pills were treated as currency in all of the shops and markets in the Rich-Lush Continent. They could also be used during the cultivation of energy arts to gather true energy, nourish the meridians, and expand the sea of energy.

"Yes sir…." the old steward said, leading the doctor away.

Yang Zhan remained behind. Clenching his hands into fists, he murmured, "Qi'er, your mother left so early. And now we're facing some major bad luck. I'll do everything I can think of to restore your sea of energy, and make sure you can practice cultivation again. In the world we live in, it's not an option to be so weak…."

In another location deep within the Yang Clan, Yang Qi was awake and laying there quietly in bed.

The room was adorned with red velvet furnishings and expensive, ancient paintings. There was even a copper incense burner decorated with turtles and cranes, burning a very expensive type of incense. The level of wealth on display was staggering.

It was hot outside, but a cool breeze drifted by the room, its source being the large, mist-covered pond there. Trees next to the pond provided shade, and there were also numerous blocks of ice which had been placed in the area to provide further cooling. Next to the door was a young servant girl about eleven or twelve years old, whose head continued to bob up and down as she fought the urge to sleep.

Yang Qi was no longer in pain. As he laid there, he attempted to ascertain what the lightning strike had done to him. When he closed his eyes, he could see what appeared to be a fist-sized mammoth made of lightning, resting in his sea of energy. Virtually any outside stimuli would cause the mammoth to suddenly shrink down until it was a tiny dot, which was a good thing, because any powerful experts who examined him would notice nothing unusual.

Yang Qi could sense that the lightning mammoth contained massive destructive power, power so great that, if he could somehow release it in an attack, it would probably destroy the entire mansion he was in.

Advertisements

He had been struck by lightning, but hadn't died; instead, the electricity entered him and took the shape of a mammoth and an imp. No matter how Yang Qi considered the situation, he couldn't come up with any explanation of what was going on.

At one point, Yang Qi circulated his energy, and the golden imp appeared in his forehead.

The imp then spoke into his mind, in a stentorian voice that no one else could hear.

"Fail to succeed, break to found. Unparalleled under heaven…."

1. Yang Zhan: Yang is a common surname that also means "poplar". Zhan means "war, fight, battle".

Sage Monarch

"Fail to succeed, break to found. Unparalleled under heaven…."

The golden imp in Yang Qi's forehead continued to repeat the same words over and over. As it did, Yang Qi did his best to communicate with it, but got no response other than those same words.

The imp had come to him through the lightning, almost like some sort of god or spirit, filling him with a sensation of indescribable grandness and mystery.

It was like having a nearly invincible and all-powerful master always there with him.

In the past, he had personally seen the city magistrate of Yanhaven, who had cultivated his energy arts all the way to the ninth phase, the Master of Energy level. The city magistrate was a man of incredible influence and authority, and yet the power Yang Qi sensed from the golden imp far surpassed that.

As he attempted to make a connection with the imp, a stream of textual symbols suddenly poured out of it, accompanied by physical images. They poured directly into Yang Qi's sea of consciousness, revealing themselves as an energy art technique.

"Use energy to summon the god, which then becomes a mammoth; one's every act and movement will have the power of a megamammoth; formed from eight hundred forty million particles, which are the home of that power; if all the particles are awakened, one can become like a godmammoth, overturning seas and rivers, dragging stars down from the sky, devouring moons and suns, all with a single thought…."

To have the text suddenly pouring into his mind was so startling to Yang Qi that he nearly leaped to his feet.

"What technique is this? It's on a completely different level than the energy arts our Yang Clan cultivate. It must be millions of times beyond ours…."

Advertisements

The truth was that the energy arts practiced by the Yang Clan were actually considered quite advanced. Yang Qi's father Yang Zhan had already reached the eighth phase, the Energy Incarnation level, and was considered one of the top masters in Yanhaven, with only the city magistrate himself being far above him.

'Godmammoths?' Yang Qi thought. 'Godmammoths…. According to the rumors, there is another land mass far to the west of the Rich-Lush Continent, with a very hot climate. Supposedly, they worship elephants and mammoths as gods. I've even heard stories that there's another location in the west with an endless hell that people use godmammoths to suppress and crush. Perhaps this Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth is some superb technique from the west.'

The truth was that Yang Qi was not some hedonistic silkpants. He was actually one of the most elite young ones of his generation. His cultivation base had once been fairly good, to the point where he was on the edge of the Energy Eruption level, nearly able to utilize the Hundred Paces Divine Fist. Sadly, his judgement had become clouded by love, and thanks to being deceived by Yun Hailan, he ended up in his current state. [1]

Generally speaking, though, he was intelligent and quite well-informed.

As such, he could immediately tell that the technique the golden imp had imparted to him was extraordinary. Most energy arts involved circulating and converging energy within the meridians. However, this Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth was different. It viewed the body as being composed of eight hundred forty million tiny particles, each one of which was a sleeping megamammoth. When all of that power was awoken and combined, it would be enough to tear stars out of the sky.

'Hell-Crushing Godmammoth,' Yang Qi thought. 'Apparently, godmammoths are so powerful they can crush a never-ending hell. What exact level of power is that? I guess I profited from that disaster of mine. I acquired a remarkable ability that has the potential to push me far beyond my previous level. It really is a case offail to succeed, break to found. Unparalleled under heaven….'

Without any further hesitation, he began to practice cultivation according to the methods of the technique.

As he did, countless strands of vital energy began to circulate throughout his body, which caused the lightning mammoth in his dantian region to stir in excitement. Vital energy began to stream out of it, causing it to slowly shrink. Meanwhile, that energy entered Yang Qi's fleshly body and began to transform it.

As Yang Qi sat there with his eyes closed, he could sense his body changing, and could hear something like creaking and cracking sounds. All of his damaged meridians were slowly being repaired, as was his sea of energy. In fact, as the process continued, they grew stronger than before.

Ordinarily, the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth was an apex-level technique that was incredibly difficult to cultivate. Even unusually intelligent people with superb innate talents would be unable to succeed with it unless they had some outside enlightenment. However, because of being struck by lightning, Yang Qi actually had a lightning mammoth inside of him, and every time he circulated his energy, some of it would be absorbed into him. Because of that, his cultivation speed was far faster than that of an ordinary person. A day of cultivation for him was like ten years of hard work for others.

As time went on, Yang Qi could sense the power building up inside of him, and his energy arts being restored. As he advance by leaps and bounds, his active mind was spun with theories about why all of this was happening.

"People say that some top experts will provoke reactions from the heavens during the course of their cultivation. Sometimes, lightning will even strike them. Could it be that some consummate expert was struck by lightning, transformed into a golden imp, and then later fell with lightning onto me, taking up residence in my forehead? Is the lightning mammoth a representation of his vital energy and energy arts?"

The imp apparently existed in a state between something physical and something formed from vital energy. It was almost like a spirit or god, and was something that Yang Qi couldn't take control of. After imparting the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth to him, it remained silent and unmoving, almost as if it were in a state of rest and recovery.

He tried several more times to communicate with it, but even after multiple attempts, got no response.

Yang Qi then decided to focus completely on mastering the new energy art he had been given, and on absorbing the lightning mammoth.

The power of the lightning mammoth was terrifying, and in fact, Yang Qi had no idea what his cultivation base would be like if he absorbed it all.

At some point during Yang Qi's meditation, the servant girl outside woke up and looked over at him in surprise.

"Young Master, are you awake?"

Yesterday, he had been half-dead and gasping for breath. But now, in spite of the fact that he was still wrapped in all sorts of bandages, he seemed to be in high spirits and full of energy.

"What's wrong, Little Yan?" Yang Qi said calmly. "Don't worry, I'm not dead yet!"

"Young Master, your father ordered that you were to go see him as soon as you were awake." Little Yan was only twelve, and was as fair and charming of a girl as could be imagined. She had served Yang Qi for a long time, and had always viewed him as a good person. After all, he never bullied her like most young masters would their servants. He was also one of the elite young ones in Yanhaven. But now, he had suffered a major calamity, and had brought the clan to the brink of bankruptcy. And he himself was now a cripple.

"Alright, I'll go see father." Yang Qi rose to his feet to find that the pain which had previously wracked him was now mostly gone. Instead, he felt like he was thrumming with power. However, he still tried to make himself look so weak that he could barely stand.

"Young Master," Little Yan said, sounding worried, "I heard that your energy arts are gone…. If you're feeling weak, why don't you—"

"Don't worry, Little Yan. When did I ever allow people to just bully me? The people who hurt me will be punished, and the clan will be revitalized…."

Little Yan nodded vigorously. "Alright, I believe you, Young Master."

As Yang Qi made his way through the labyrinthine corridors of the Yang Clan, he could hear what people were whispering about him. Most of them cursed him for being a hedonistic silkpants who had undermined his own clan.

He wasn't bothered by such talk. If his martial arts truly had been wiped out, and he had no hope of recovery, he would definitely have sunk into despair. But now that he could cultivate the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, he had hope of restoring his martial arts. Better, his progress would come with incredible speed, and he would be even more powerful than before.

Now, he had hope and anticipation. Filled with thoughts of cultivating the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth to the very peak, he could walk with head held high, assured that he would be able to clear his name and restore the glory and honor of the clan.

After arriving at the official hall of business, he saw his father standing there as tall and straight as a mountain.

He immediately dropped to his knees. "I've been an unfilial son, Father, and have brought great trouble to the clan. Please, do not go lightly in my punishment…."

When Yang Zhan saw that his son was in high spirits, and didn't seem dejected at all, a smile broke out on his face. "What are you doing here so soon? You've already recovered from your injuries? I already know the story behind the Latent Dragon Pill. You stole it for Yun Hailan, princess of Yundale-by-the-Sea, didn't you? She's been in a cultivation bottleneck for a while now, and wanted that pill to help her achieve a breakthrough, all in the hopes of becoming a disciple of the Demi-Immortal Institute. I can't blame you for that, son. What youngster doesn't do something stupid for love at some point? In fact, I hope this will help you to grow up a bit. In any case, I'll help you deal with the fallout, and no matter what happens, I'll do my best to help you recover properly. Your mother left when you were young, and your cultivation success up to this point has been a result of your own hard work. You might have caused a disaster because of love, but no matter how many people threaten to hurt or kill you because of it, I understand what you did."

Feeling warmth in his heart, Yang Qi said, "Father, you just watch, I'm going to make you proud eventually. And I'll definitely restore the glory of the clan."

Yang Zhan nodded. "Very well. Your eldest brother and second brother have been notified of what happened, and are hurrying back to see you. I've also sent a letter to your aunt to explain. She's been away for ten years, but she'll definitely do everything she can to help us get through the coming crisis. Don't worry about any of it. You focus on recovering, and after everything has blown over, I'll help you restore your sea of energy."

Yang Qi rose to his feet, stepped back a few paces, and then clasped hands.

'Father would be happy to know about my major cultivation base progress,' he thought. 'But I can't reveal the matter of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. If word leaked, it would definitely lead to a bloodbath, and would harm father's position in the clan.'

Yang Qi was no idiot, and was definitely not a typical silkpants. Although he had acted with impulsive, youthful foolishness because of Yun Hailan, he had learned his lesson. The incident had already caused his heart to turn colder, and had propelled him to a new level of maturity and calmness.

Later that night, the sky was absolutely clear, revealing the brilliant moon above.

Yang Qi was alone at the top of a low-lying mountain, quietly practicing cultivation. Slipping from stance to stance, he was going through the moves that made up the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth.

His movements were smooth and fluid, like the flowing waters of a river, and caused occasional rumbling sounds to echo out. His muscles were as taut as iron, and beneath the light of the moon, his aura was like soft jade. There didn't seem to be any indication at all that he had been struck by lightning.

In fact, if one looked closely, his aura seemed like an enraged, fearless mammoth.

BOOM!

Advertisements

As he practiced his strikes and kicks, the explosive sounds of his blows filled the air.

Wind swirled around him, rising up into the air until a vortex spun in the area, with him at the center.

"Hundred Paces Divine Fist!" he growled. His energy arts surged, projecting force out of him and causing an enormous, bowl-thick tree about a hundred paces away to snap in half, sending leaves flying about in all directions.

"Unleash the energy arts externally with explosive force. The Hundred Paces Divine Fist can snap trees and smash boulders…." As of this moment, Yang Qi knew beyond doubt that he had reached the higher level he had sought after for so long.

1. "Silkpants" is a direct translation of a Chinese term that essentially is the same as the English expression "silver spoon". It refers to a rich, spoiled youth from a powerful family.

Sage Monarch

"I can't believe I broke through to the next level so quickly. I'm in the fifth phase of energy arts! The Energy Eruption level!"

He struck out with his fist, and a hundred paces away, another tree snapped in half. Afterward, Yang Qi looked down with wide eyes at his hand, and sensed that his vital energy had reached the point of being able to disregard all favors or humiliations.

Only one day and one night had passed, and he had transformed as surely as if he had been transported from hell to heaven. First he stole the Latent Dragon Pill, then he was betrayed by Yun Hailan. Next, his martial arts were crippled, and he was struck by lightning.

Later, he found that being struck by lightning had been extremely fortuitous; he had acquired the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, and had his cultivation base bolstered by the vital energy of the lightning mammoth inside him. And now, he had broken through to the Energy Eruption level.

Even better, he was certain that the overall level of his energy arts actually surpassed the Energy Eruption level.

Most experts could unleash their energy externally to some degree after reaching the Energy Eruption level. But most could do little more than cause a tree to sway back and forth with a ranged fist strike. Damaging or destroying a tree was a completely different matter.

It was only common to be able to unleash the Hundred Paces Divine Fist after reaching the peak of the Energy Eruption level, or perhaps after entering the Energy Weapon level. In any case, a profound cultivation base was required to release such devastating force.

Yang Qi could also tell that his physical body was stronger than the day before. He really had experienced a complete transformation both inside and out. He took another step forward, and unleashed his energy arts to crush a boulder with a kick. This was the true power that came with energy arts.

"The people who mocked and laughed at me could never have guessed that I would only remain a cripple for a day. Not only did I reach the highest level of enlightenment, I made dramatic progress! At the clan forum in three days, there will definitely be some attempts to force my father to abdicate. Instead, I'll make sure he comes out stronger than ever!"

Of course, Yang Qi knew that despite having reached the Energy Eruption level and becoming a powerful expert, he didn't count for much when compared to the other major experts in Yanhaven. For example, there was Luo Hun, the very man who had crippled him. He was already in the seventh phase of energy arts, the Energy Manifestation level, in which energy arts could manifest in physical form and allow one to fly through the air or swim through the water. A single fist strike from a person like that was like the attack of a dragon or a tiger.

Advertisements

'I need to conceal the true level of my strength,'Yang Qi thought. 'And I can't reveal the truth about the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, nor any of its stances or moves. I'll just use the energy art forms and stances of the Yang Clan. If anyone asks how I recovered so quickly, I'll just say that it was thanks to my aunt.'

Having reached this point in his train of thought, Yang Qi suddenly found himself thinking about his aunt, whom he hadn't seen in ten years. Back then, when she still wore her hair in twin braids, she had taught him how to read and write.

Even though he called her aunt, she wasn't surnamed Yang; she was an orphan his grandfather had taken in. The only reason he called her aunt was that she was about three years older than him. For all intents and purposes, she was really his sister.

He had essentially grown up with his aunt, until one day when he was almost ten. That was when an eccentric expert traveling through Yanhaven had taken her away. Only later did he learn that the eccentric in question was an elder from the Demi-Immortal Institute, which was the top organization in the Rich-Lush Continent.

Back when she first arrived at the Demi-Immortal Institute, she had occasionally written him letters. However, he hadn't heard from her for the past five or six years. Even still, everyone in Yanhaven knew that she was someone very important in the Yang Clan.

After all, the Demi-Immortal Institute was a major player in the Rich-Lush Continent, and was second only to the dominant power in all the lands, the Sage Ancestor Dynasty.

The Sage Ancestor Dynasty was essentially a feudal government. There was no true centralized state power, but instead, a host of vassal states. Separate locations held local jurisdiction, and had independent law, but on a yearly basis would send tribute to the Sage Ancestor Dynasty, and would dispatch representatives to offer worship.

Yanhaven was only one of many tiny vassal states. The city magistrate there held ultimate sway over the area, and made all the decisions, which meant that the aristocratic clans in the city had no choice but to submit to him. As for all of the nearby towns, villages, marketplaces, and counties, they also fell under the jurisdiction of Yanhaven.

In some ways Yanhaven could actually be considered a nation of sorts, a State of Yan, although on a very small scale.

Compared to the Demi-Immortal Institute, Yanhaven was quite insignificant. One was like a rabbit, the other, a tiger.

In the final analysis, the only reason that Yang Qi hadn't been immediately executed for stealing the Latent Dragon Pill was his aunt, who was backed by the Demi-Immortal Institute. The city magistrate was simply too leery of offending her.

Golden Toad Eats the Moon

Fierce Tiger Leaps Over the Stream

Shatter the Heart, Crush the Lungs

Corpse-Chomping White Tiger

Yang Qi went through all of the forms of the energy arts he knew, until he was little more than a blur. As he did, his energy flowed inside of him faster and faster, and the lightning mammoth in his sea of energy continued to bolster his vital energy.

As for the essence of his life force, it grew more and more robust.

He continued with his practice, and his physical body grew stronger and more resilient.

Thanks to the transformation provided by the lightning strike, he was growing in unbelievable ways.

Over and over again, he released fist strikes that destroyed trees and rocks dozens of meters away.

Top experts in the fifth phase, the Energy Eruption level, could destroy things at such distance, but normally could not release strike after strike after strike. The drainage on vital energy was simply too significant.

But Yang Qi was different. He cultivated the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, a remarkable ability that could devastate devil-gods and devil-ghosts from hell. Not only was it a source of immense strength, it also provided incredible resilience.

The lightning mammoth, which was apparently formed from the quintessence of a powerful expert, was merging into Yang Qi, pushing his cultivation base to incredible heights.

If he fully assimilated it, then he would have enough vital energy to completely surpass any other ordinary person's ability with the Hundred Paces Divine Fist. While they might be capable of ten strikes in a row, he could easily reach a hundred, or perhaps even a thousand.

The difference between those two levels was obvious.

And yet, Yang Qi still wasn't happy. He wanted to be stronger, to reach the sixth phase, the seventh phase, the eighth phase, and eventually, the ninth phase, the Master of Energy level. He wanted to crush the city magistrate of Yanhaven, and make the Yang Clan the number one power in the area.

In the past, such goals would not have been reasonable, but now, they were within the realm of possibility.

The roaring trumpet of a megamammoth suddenly erupted inside of Yang Qi as he unleashed the ultimate level of fist strike possible for him. Afterward, he reined in his energy, which collected behind him to form the shadowy image of a megamammoth that then exploded, sending out a rushing wind that caused the leaves to rustle left and right on the low-lying mountain.

Yang Qi sat back down, closed his eyes, and sank into meditation. The power of the lightning mammoth flowed through him, and he began to use the cultivation techniques of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. First, he focused his thoughts on the eight hundred forty million tiny particles that made up his body, and the embryonic megamammoths inside of them, which could eventually give birth to a true godmammoth.

Godmammoths had heads like mountains, and trunks so many hundreds of millions of kilometers long that they could encompass stars.

Godmammoths' feet could trample hells, and transform the devil-gods and devil-ghosts they contained into dust.

Such images, such thoughts, had been transferred into Yang Qi by the golden imp, a fundamental aspect of the cultivation of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth.

As he slowly went about his cultivation, a popping sound could suddenly be heard from one of those tiny particles. Then, a chaotic, primeval aura, something beastly and ancient, began to spread out through him.

In that instant, flocks of birds suddenly shot up into the air from the numerous surrounding trees.

Moments ago, the surrounding forest had been alive with the calls of all sorts of bugs and insects, but when the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth's aura suddenly awoke, it was as though all those bugs suddenly felt massive pressure weighing down on them, and went as still as death as a result.

Godmammoths were indeed divine spirits that had long existed in the west. They were filled with boundless power, enough to crush hells, and had murderous auras so intense that, with a single trumpet, they could cause all sorts of wild beasts to cower in fear. Even dragons and tigers would bow in allegiance to them.

As of this moment, Yang Qi had awoken one particle, and could use only a tiny scrap of the power of the godmammoths.

Currently, when Yang Qi used the full extent of his energy arts, he could unleash strength equivalent to a single ancient megamammoth.

But if he awoke all of the eight hundred forty million particles, then he would be able to unleash the hell-crushing power of the legendary godmammoths.

Yang Qi had just taken his first step on the path of that unmatchable and remarkable ability.

After taking that first step, he was convinced that this was an amazing ability that could lead to the highest heights and deepest depths. Of course, without the help of the lightning mammoth inside of him, he wouldn't have been able to make such amazing progress, not in one day, and not in ten years.

Now, Yang Qi was almost like an ancient megamammoth in human form, with terrifying, deadly power inside of him, ready to be unleashed at any moment.

Rising slowly to his feet, Yang Qi retracted his aura, as well as the chaotic, primeval, and beastly aura.

Afterward, the petrified bugs and birds in the area calmed back down and returned to their previous activities.

The night was dark, but Yang Qi's eyes glittered brightly, illuminating all of the details of the forest around him, even down to the feathers on the birds.

His hearing had now become so acute that he could even hear the ants a hundred paces away.

This was being able tohear sounds as quiet as the footsteps of an ant.

His ears were ten times as sensitive as before; the latent potential within him was truly being released.

"Eight hundred forty million tiny particles? If one of them makes me this strong, then how strong would I be if they were all awake? Also, considering that I'm advancing this quickly because of the lightning mammoth being inside of me, then after I absorb it, how will I continue to progress with the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth?"

Although he was very pleased with having become so strong, he also was a bit terrified of his new abilities. And he almost couldn't imagine how anyone could cultivate this technique to completion.

It was almost like a cultivation path designed, not for humans, but for gods and spirits.

Advertisements

Only entities like that could possibly complete it.

Yang Qi had always been one of the elite young ones in the area, and had been somewhat arrogant as a result. Although he was very intelligent, it was his complete overconfidence that had led to him being tripped up by love, and betrayed by Yun Hailan. He had foolishly believed that stealing a Latent Dragon Pill would convince her to run off with him. Now that he thought about it, he had been a real fool. Thankfully, his father had forgiven him.

And now that he had begun to cultivate the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, he suddenly had true humility within his heart.

In the past, he had believed that he could cultivate any technique he wanted, and succeed. But with this ability, he suddenly felt very, very tiny.

Bit by bit, eighteen-year-old Yang Qi was starting to grow up.

Sage Monarch

For three nights in a row, Yang Qi would slip out unnoticed to cultivate his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. During the daytime, he would pretend to convalesce, doing nothing to reveal his true state. As far as everyone could tell, he was a cripple, unable to recover from his injuries.

Fundamentally speaking, people who had their energy arts crippled would never be able to recover.

If he had done so suddenly, and even advanced by leaps and bounds with no explanation, it would definitely arouse suspicion. If experts from the city magistrate's mansion began asking questions, and his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth were discovered, it could lead to the complete eradication of the entire Yang Clan.

The more Yang Qi cultivated this technique, the more he realized how profound and shocking it was.

He definitely needed to reach a much higher level of power before revealing anything about it.

During his three nights of cultivation, he grew stronger and stronger, as did his cultivation base. Virtually every move he made was capable of rending apart rocks and even metal. Although he still hadn't unlocked a second particle, and with it the power of a second ancient megamammoth, he had already far surpassed ordinary masters of the fifth phase.

In fact, even if an entire group of fifth phase masters joined forces to fight him, he would cut them all down.

And the terrifying nature of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth was only beginning to be revealed.

As soon as Yang Qi reined in the technique and hid it, his meridians would wither up, and his vital energy would vanish, leaving his sea of energy completely empty.

Of course, the truth was that it was hidden within that single particle that he had awakened.

Advertisements

In some ways, his body was currently like the depths of hell, pitch black in a way that made it impossible for outsiders to gauge the level of his cultivation base. Anyone who examined him would think him to be nothing more than a cripple.

It was the power of the godmammoths, and the profundity of hell.

Considering how his cultivation was progressing, it wouldn't be long before he reached the sixth phase, the Energy Weapon level. At that point, he would be able to use energy to form corporeal weapons, to use forces like sword energy to pierce powerful armor.

The Energy Weapon level far surpassed the fifth phase, and could unleash devastating force that was on a completely different level. Some experts who reached the fifth phase would be stuck there for their entire life, and would never enter the Energy Weapon level. Others who did reach that level would end up spending a decade or even longer before being able to form weapons with energy.

As for Yang Qi, despite being one of the elites of his generation, not even he was very familiar with how powerful Energy Weapon experts were.

During his three nights of cultivation, he made more attempts to establish communication with the golden imp in his forehead. However, the imp remained completely motionless, and didn't respond at all.

Although the imp definitely existed inside of him, it almost seemed to exist in a different time and place, and would communicate with him only on its own terms.

"What's the deal with this thing? It's living in my forehead, and even gave me the matchless Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. Is it alive? Why is it ignoring me? Am I just too weak to communicate with it?" Questions piled upon questions in Yang Qi's heart and mind.

In the end, there was nothing he could do about the fact that the imp was ignoring him.

Eventually, he gave up, and sat there in his room contemplating the profound mysteries of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth.

On the morning after his third night of cultivation, the sun slowly began to rise.

The eight gates of Yanhaven opened, whereupon a caravan of horse carts began to thread through the city toward the Yang Clan mansion, which immediately aroused the attention of the cityfolk.

"What's going on? Why are all those caravans heading toward the Yang Clan? Who are they?"

"Ah, you must not have heard. Those are the subsidiary branches of the Yang Clan. Look, do you see that caravan? That's the Yang Clan branch from Zhaoluforth, led by Yang Zhen, the younger cousin of Yang Zhan. And see that caravan with the white tiger banners? That's the Yang Clan branch from Baishiville, led by Yang Shi…" [1]

"Something big happened three days ago in the Yang Clan. Yang Qi, the son of Clan Lord Yang Zhan, stole a valuable treasure from the city magistrate's mansion. His martial arts ended up being crippled, and the city magistrate demanded the Yang Clan pay for the stolen treasure. That single treasure is as valuable as a whole city, so the Yang Clan obviously can't afford to pay for it. They're having a forum now to try to figure out what to do."

"Pay for it? Can the Yang Clan's chief elders actually figure out a way to do that? What a humiliation for them. Forget about the compensation! The Yang Clan is definitely going to be on the decline after this."

"Why did Yang Zhan have to beget such an unfilial son…?"

The metal wheels of horse carts clattered across the stone roads of the city as they headed toward the Yang Clan.

The caravan with the white tiger banners was the first to come to a stop in front of the main gate of the Yang Clan mansion.

Then, the curtain of one of the carts parted as a middle-aged man stepped out, clad in richly embroidered leather, and a long cloak embroidered with golden thread. Although the sun was already hot in the sky, he radiated a chill that caused everything within a hundred paces of him to turn very cold.

This person cultivated energy arts based on frigid coldness, and had already reached a very high level with them.

He was the leader of the Yang Clan branch from Baishiville, Yang Shi.

Even as Yang Shi stepped out into the open, a few more carts came to a stop outside the gate, whereupon a young man and a young woman stepped out, who were his children. They were both considered young elites in the clan; in addition to their sharply glittering eyes, they had profoundly advanced cultivation bases.

"Father," the young man said, "this is the opportunity we've been waiting for.Hmph. Yang Zhan has been leading the clan for ten years already. How could he possibly have the face to try to keep his position now?"

"That's right, Father," the young woman said.

Yang Shi waved his hand to forestall any further comments from his children. "We've arrived. We can talk more about it inside."

As they all stood there in front of the mansion, they faced six enormous stone guardian lions, which seemed to stare at them with flashing eyes.

At that point, a voice floated out from another caravan, which had just arrived. "So, Yang Shi, you also have your eyes set on the leadership of the clan."

A middle-aged man appeared, clad in a suit of armor that appeared to be crafted from jade and adorned with strips of silk. It was in fact nephrite, and was so strong that it could deflect all types of weapons, and even defend against energy art attacks.

This was Yang Zhen, who led the Yang Clan in Zhaoluforth.

"Unless Yang Zhan is deposed," Yang Shi said, "all other talk is pointless." He flicked his finger, causing a glittering, crystalline light to shoot out, smashing into the stone ground and leaving behind a host of ice-filled holes.

Yang Zhen in his nephrite armor definitely seemed impressed by Yang Shi's frigid ice energy art. Waving his hand, he sent a blast of warm air out, melting the ice on the ground.

"Impressive. How advanced is your frigid ice energy art by now? Seventh phase? Eighth phase? Regardless, you can't let your guard down. Yang Zhan's cultivation base has long since reached the eighth phase. He can definitely use the Mind Incarnation ability!"

At this point, another caravan arrived, and a scholarly-looking man stepped out into the open holding a folding fan. "Why are the two of you talking things out already? Come on, let's go inside. Don't give the city folk any more reason to deride us."

The Yang Clan was definitely a rich and powerful clan, and the large square outside of their mansion was large enough to hold thousands of people. The green limestone slabs were scrubbed by the servants every day, leaving them shining and spotless.

"Yang Xu!" said Yang Shi, turning to face the man who spoke. From the look of things, he wasn't quite ready to let things drop. [2]

Yang Xu snapped open his fan. "Yang Zhan's useless son has caused a big disaster for our clan! Not only are we a laughingstock, we're in great danger. Before worrying about outside aggression, we need to settle our internal affairs! What's the point of fighting amongst ourselves? First let's give Yang Zhan a chance to explain things."

"Fine, let's go," Yang Shi said, his face softening a tiny bit. Without any further ado, they entered the Yang Clan mansion.

As more and more of the Yang Clan subsidiary branches arrived, powerful experts began to gather in the main courtyard in the mansion. There were even chief elders who normally spent their time traveling and practicing cultivation afar who had hurried back to the clan because of the situation, although they didn't show their faces in public.

This clan forum would be attended by all of the clan's most powerful leaders.

Meanwhile, in a certain room in the depths of the mansion, Yang Qi sat cross-legged, meditating. Suddenly, the servant girl Little Yan hurried in. "Young Master, this is bad! Experts from all the subsidiary branches are gathering in the main courtyard to discuss the clan's situation with Lord Yang Zhan. He sent me to tell you to head the courtyard immediately!"

"They're all here already?" Yang Qi said, slowly rising to his feet. "It's time to see how this thing is really going to play out."

"Be careful, Young Master," Little Yan said.

Yang Qi nodded, and once again made his way through the mansion to the meeting hall, where the other clan members had been led once the entire group assembled.

There were already about thirty adults gathered there, Yang Zhan included. Also present were a host of the clan's elite young ones, nearly a hundred of them, standing behind the older ones.

Thankfully, the hall was actually large enough to fit hundreds, and therefore, didn't feel crowded at all.

Despite the large number of people present, there was no din of excitement; the atmosphere was so tense that it was almost foggy.

As soon as Yang Qi stepped inside, well over a hundred pairs of burning eyes swiveled to lock onto him. Some of those eyes belonged to experts with such powerful energy arts that they could literally kill people by looking at them.

However, in response, the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth that was hidden deep inside of Yang Qi stirred, and negated the effects of all the gazes within him.

Godmammoths could crush hells, and hells contained all sorts of devils and ghosts, as well as the pressure they could unleash. Although Yang Qi had only awoken a tiny portion of the power within him, it was still more than enough for this situation.

Advertisements

At that point, Yang Zhan let out a cold harrumph, a sound backed by his energy arts, which completely dispelled the power of the gazes in the room.

Apparently completely unfazed by it all, Yang Qi walked over to stand next to his father.

Next, Yang Zhan spoke, his voice booming to fill the hall. "My son's martial arts have been crippled, and yet the lot of you still gang up on him like that? Don't tell me you want him dead?"

1. Yang Zhen: Zhen means "real, true". Yang Shi: the Shi means "rock, stone". Zhaoluforth: Zhaolu means "morning dew, ephemeral". Baishiville: Bai means "white, pure" and Shi means "stone, rock." If you analyze all that, you will see that there is a bit of synergy between Yang Shi and Baishiville in terms of the "stone" character, as well as the "white" character because of the white tiger banners

2. Yang Xu: Xu means "dawn, rising sun"

When Yang Qi saw that projected shield of energy arts, and sensed the unfathomable level of his father's cultivation base, he couldn't help but marvel.

"Father's energy arts and cultivation base are far beyond my own."

His father truly did live up to his reputation of being a top master of the eighth phase, the Energy Incarnation level.

Although Yang Qi had already cultivated his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth to the point of entering the fifth phase, Energy Eruption, compared to someone in the eighth phase, he was like the earth being compared to the heavens.

Each one of the nine phases of energy arts was worlds apart from the phases beneath or above it. And that was especially true of the final five phases: each one of which could increase one's battle prowess by ten times!

"Although, as long as I keep absorbing the lightning mammoth, then eventually I won't be any different from father. Then I can face all problems head on. I can restore glory to the clan and handle my own crises!"

Keeping his aura reined in, he stood next to his father and looked out at the clan.

He had his father's protection, but that didn't mean he couldn't sense the scorn and hatred in the eyes of the other clan members.

All of the important leaders had come to this forum.

The Zhaoluforth branch, the Baishiville branch…. Hundreds of years ago, the Yang Clan had existed only in Yanhaven. Later, the clan began to spread, opening up operations in numerous cities, which would ensure that a major disaster in one area wouldn't lead to the fall of the entire clan.

Advertisements

As time passed, the clan had grown larger and larger, but the entire time, rulership remained within Yanhaven. The clan lord was always based in Yanhaven, and he had the authority to appoint or dismiss personnel in the branches. Furthermore, the subsidiary branches were required to offer a thirty percent tithe to the main branch on a yearly basis.

The clan lord was like the emperor, and the branches were like his feudal vassals.

Of course, the clan lord answered to the chief elders, who were the oldest members of the clan. However, they were mostly concerned with their personal cultivation, and were usually out tending to their own affairs. They would only return on important occasions, and left power and authority in the hands of the clan lord.

All the branches wanted to win the favor of the council of chief elders, and thus attain the position of clan lord.

Right now, Yang Qi's actions had caused a huge disaster that was forcing the clan to sustain severe losses. Therefore, all of the subsidiary branches had come. In fact, some of them had already petitioned the council of chief elders to strip Yang Zhan of the position of clan lord and give it to someone else.

As for Yang Qi, his experience of being betrayed had forced him to grow up a bit, and he knew full well what was at stake.

If his own family fell from grace, who knew what fate would be in store for himself?

When Yang Shi saw Yang Zhan protecting Yang Qi, he laughed uproariously. "You're still protecting that dirty little swine of yours, eh Yang Zhan?"

As Yang Shi sat there in his chair, the coldness around him caused snowflakes to appear and flutter in the air around him.

In fact, it made the entire hall cold.

The weaker individuals present were already shivering, and some of the younger ones were forced to actively draw upon their energy arts to drive away the cold.

At the same time, excitement lit their faces, as they knew that a great show was about to play out in front of them. Yang Shi from Baishiville was the first to start putting pressure on Yang Zhan.

And of course, the first thing he did was use Yang Qi's unfilial actions as the basis for his accusation.

"If my son is no better than an animal," Yang Zhan said coolly, "does that mean you're calling me a beast too? Do you really need to make such oblique accusations?"

Yang Shi let out a cold harrumph. He rose to his feet, frigid energy swirling around him as he said, "The Yang Clan has been saddled with a debt of stupefying proportions. And your son is responsible for the losses! Even if he were chopped into tiny bits he couldn't atone for such heinous crimes. Therefore, you hadbetterprovide a good explanation. And that's not to mention that your parenting techniques are clearly useless, meaning that you also bear responsibility for the debt. You should tender your resignation immediately to the council of chief elders, and allow us to select a new clan lord!"

Yang Zhan remained in place, as unmoving as a boulder. "Oh? You want to select a new clan lord? So that's what this is all about. The position of clan lord isn't one that can be filled by just any old person. Don't tell meyouwant to be the new lord, Yang Shi? Could you even handle the responsibility?"

"Yang Zhan!" Yang Shi barked. Then, he waved his hands out in front of him, causing all of the frigid energy in the area to form together into a crystalline spear, covered with complex patterns. Instantly, the power of the spear caused the blistering summer day to turn as cold as winter.

Without any hesitation, Yang Shi threw the spear, sending it spiralling through the air toward Yang Zhan.

Pupils constricting, Yang Zhan said, "True Heat Wave."

At the same time, he waved his hand out in front of him, causing a blast of hot air to shoot toward the crystalline spear, which melted in the course of only a few short moments.

Next a cracking sound could be heard as the tiles beneath Yang Shi's feet began to break into pieces.

This was what happened when masters in the eighth phase of energy arts contended with each other.

All it took was one move for it to be clear who was in the winning position, and who was in the losing position. Clearly, Yang Zhan had the upper hand; Yang Shi was just not ready to take him on.

"So, Yang Shi, your energy arts have already reached the eighth phase, the Energy Incarnation level. You can finally perform a Mind Incarnation. Unfortunately, that alone is not enough to take the position of clan lord away from me. You're still too weak."

Yang Qi stood there behind his father, fascinated by what he was seeing. His father was definitely a true master. His energy arts were so profound he could casually turn what was cold into what was hot. He was essentially impervious to all sorts of weapons.

Flicking his golden cloak, Yang Shi said, "I have more moves than that, Yang Zhan! Let's keep going and see who comes out on top!"

With that, he took a step forward, his desire to do battle surging.

"Enough, enough," Yang Xu said in a loud voice. "This is supposed to be a clan forum, not a duel. Even if you beat him, Yang Shi, that wouldn't make you clan lord. The council of chief elders would have to hold a clan election meeting. That's the only way for anyone to officially become the new clan lord." With that, Yang Xu waved his fan twice, sending out a majestic breeze that cleared the tension from the air and restored peace.

This was his Positive Yang Energy Art, something that was pure and harmonious in all ways.

"So what are you suggesting be done, Yang Xu?" Yang Zhan asked, remaining seated on his clan lord's throne. "If you think you're going to lay a hand on my son, you might as well just not say anything. His martial arts have been crippled, and his sea of energy destroyed. Not only that, he was struck by lightning. God himself has doled out enough punishment. The fact that he wasn't killed by the lightning shows that his crimes have been absolved, and that God has forgiven him."

Although Yang Xu looked like a scholar, when he spoke, it was with words as venomous as a snake. "Your son might be crippled, but that doesn't take the death penalty off the table. Before coming here today, I already discussed this matter with my clan brothers, and have prepared a few demands. First: we will not pay a single coin of the money to compensate for the Latent Dragon Pill. Your son committed the crime, and therefore, the clan itself will not bear responsibility. You're on your own when it comes to providing that compensation. Second: You will step down as clan lord because of this incident. Third: You must hand over your son to us immediately to be punished."

Yang Xu's broad smile did nothing to conceal his sinister intentions.

Yang Qi was starting to get very nervous. If the clan wouldn't pay for the Latent Dragon Pill, and forced the debt onto his father's shoulders, it was terrifying to consider what it would do to them.

In terms of clan seniority and ranking, Yang Xu was his fourth uncle, but at the moment, he clearly wanted him dead.

"Those are your three demands?" Yang Zhan said, smiling coldly. "Well, let me respond. First: although my son acted alone, he's still a member of our clan. The clan is responsible for protecting him, even if it means a fight, and that includes all of you. Second: I will not step down as clan lord. Third: I won't hand my son over to you.

"I refuse to comply with any of your demands. I'm the clan lord, and if any of you defy my orders, it will be considered a major crime!"

Yang Shi, Yang Zhen, Yang Xu, and many of the other top experts in the clan were visibly taken aback. One by one they began to speak.

"Yang Zhan, you…."

"Your son screwed up, and you wantusto pay for it? Do you really think that because you run the clan, you can do whatever you want, defy all laws and principles, even of the heavens? What do you want, to fracture the clan?"

"You're being too protective of your son, Yang Zhan."

Eventually, one older man who had held his tongue up to this point said, "Since your son's martial arts were crippled, we can let the matter of his punishment drop. But you definitely have to provide the compensation on your own. And regarding the matter of the position of clan lord, that is indeed out of our power. However, we've already submitted a petition to the council of chief elders, and it won't be long before we hear back from them. So why don't we just wait patiently until they reply?"

This particular old man actually outranked Yang Zhan, being his third uncle. He also ran an entire nearby city. However, he wasn't one of the chief elders. The chief elders were all ancient, most of them being more than a hundred years of age and in the ninth phase of energy arts. Being in the Master of Energy level, but running short on longevity, they were all holed up in secluded meditation, hoping to break out of the ninth phase and into the tenth phase, the Lifeseizing level.

Moments ago, Yang Zhan had seemed to be unwilling to back down. But as the clan lord, he had no desire to see the clan fractured. And he also knew that asking the clan to pay for the Latent Dragon Pill wasn't really appropriate.

"For your sake, Third Uncle, I'll back down," he said to the old man. "I'll pay for the Latent Dragon Pill, and I'll also wait for a response from the chief elders before commenting on the position of clan lord. If they don't want me to serve in that position, then fine. But I'm definitely going to do everything I can to help my son recover."

"Why don't we make an agreement right here and now?" Yang Xu said, waving his fan. "Yang Zhan, your son Yang Qi really let down the clan, but you have two other sons who supposedly have excellent cultivation bases. Although they are working on their cultivation outside of the clan, they will surely come back for this meeting. Why don't we have a little competition between the younger ones, to see who is really the best among them all? The council of chief elders will surely give the winner a reward. After all, it will only be a handful of years before the clan lord of the next generation needs to be selected."

"Fine," Yang Zhan said, nodding. "A competition among the younger ones would be appropriate. Hui'er and Xiong'er are both on their way back, and neither one of them are crippled."

It was in that exact moment that the sound of footsteps could be heard as the clan steward hurried over. From the blood which spattered his robe, it was obvious that something big had just occurred.

All of a sudden, Yang Qi had a very bad feeling.

Something momentous had occurred!

'What's wrong?' he thought.

Advertisements

"Lord…." the steward said, looking around at the crowd.

At this point, someone chuckled darkly and said, "What? What happened? Not a good time to speak up? Scared? Come on, we're all members of the Yang Clan."

Clearly, all of them assumed that something more had gone wrong for Yang Zhan.

"Speak, steward," Yang Zhan said, his voice serious.

Sounding very grim, the steward said, "Lord, the first young master and second young master were ambushed on their way here. They're both seriously injured…."

Sage Monarch

The steward's words hit like a bolt from the blue. It wasn't just Yang Qi who was completely taken by surprise, Yang Zhan as well as numerous other experts were so shocked they went pale in the face.

"Where are they now?" Yang Zhan asked, his voice trembling as he rose to his feet.

"The first young master and second young master sent a message asking for help. I led several experts to their location and saved them. However, their assailants vanished without a trace. I brought both young masters back, but…." At this point, the steward trailed off.

"But what?" said a paled Yang Zhan.

Clearly struggling to find the right words, the steward went on to explain further. "Well… both of them suffered serious internal injuries. Their meridians were damaged, and they were poisoned. Even if they recover, their energy arts will have suffered a serious setback."

"What…?!" Yang Zhan blurted, staggering backward, seemingly aging by ten years as he did.

As for Yang Qi, his hands clenched tightly into fists, and his killing intent was already rising. "Steward," he said calmly, stepping forward. "Bring eldest brother and second brother here. Father's energy arts are profound; perhaps he'll be able to drive out the poison and treat their injuries."

"Yes, Third Young Master." The steward waved his hand, and immediately, a commotion could be heard outside as several special guards brought in two stretchers. There, spattered with blood, were two young men, one about twenty-five years old, the other about twenty. Their faces were ashen, and they both pulsed with a toxic aura. Palm prints could be seen on various locations on their body where they had been struck by some master of energy arts. Clearly, they both had broken bones and severely damaged meridians.

Even if they recovered, their energy arts would suffer a serious blow.

Rushing forward, Yang Qi said, "Eldest Brother! Second Brother!"

Advertisements

Unfortunately, the injured young men were both unconscious, and didn't respond in any way.

Yang Qi had matured a lot lately, so although he was angered by what he was seeing, he still kept his cool. "Who did this to them? Who hurt my eldest brother and second brother?"

However, it was in that moment that Yang Zhan finally took action. Waving his hand, he summoned a white stream of true energy that split into two, then formed two humanoid shapes that looked exactly like him!

The two figures moved like lightning, fusing into the bodies of Yang Qi's eldest and second brothers. Moments later, popping and cracking sounds could be heard as toxic energy was expelled from within them, and their meridians were repaired.

"Humanoid True Energy!" someone exclaimed. The other experts of the Yang Clan were clearly shocked at what Yang Zhan was doing. "I can't believe he can use Humanoid True Energy. He can take his energy and project it into a human-like shape! Only people in the Master of Energy level can do that."

"The ninth phase of energy arts! The Master of Energy level! That's when your true energy can take a physical shape with a bit of intelligence. I can't believe Yang Zhan has reached this level! Although his Humanoid True Energy manifestations don't have true intelligence, they're still extraordinary. Yang Zhan is definitely on the cusp of reaching the Master of Energy level."

"He's so strong…."

Yang Qi looked on thoughtfully. "So, father can actually shape his true energy into humanoid form." Yang Qi was deeply shaken.

Unfortunately, as the two manifestations of Humanoid True Energy entered his eldest and second brothers, and managed to restore their meridians and force out the toxins, it did little good, as the poison regenerated almost immediately.

It was clearly the type of poison that could not simply be driven away.

"Shadowblight!" Yang Xu said, shivering as if from cold.

"Shadowblight…." others whispered.

This was a consummate poison from a unique organization, and although it wouldn't necessarily kill whoever was afflicted by it, it would follow them like a shadow for the rest of their life, impossible to dispel, and a source of never-ending pain.

"So, it's shadowblight," someone else murmured, "which means that it's impossible to dispel. Supposedly, it's a consummate poison from the House of Shadowblight in the west. Not even someone in the Master of Energy level would be able to do anything about it. According to the rumors I've heard, only an expert in the Lifeseizing level could deal with it."

One of the young ones in the room suddenly said, "It seems these two are also cripples now, just like Yang Qi. They'll never progress in energy art cultivation ever again. Yang Zhan just said that his other two sons aren't crippled. Then, in the blink of an eye, that's exactly what they became.Heh!Three useless cripples!"

Although he didn't say the words very loudly, they were still incredibly biting.

When it rains, it pours. Everyone could tell that Yang Zhan was finished. After the council of chief elders learned of what had happened, how could they possibly allow him to continue to serve as the clan lord? With all of his heirs being crippled, how could he be entrusted with managing the affairs of the clan?

To be the clan lord, a man had to be powerful on a personal level, with incredible energy arts and cultivation base, but also had to have strong children. Because of that, when a new genius arose in the younger generation of a clan, his father would often also experience a rise in status.

Before, Yang Zhan had three sons who were all considered young elites in the clan. His oldest son reached the Energy Eruption level when he was only twenty-two. His second son was currently twenty, and was on the verge of stepping into the fourth phase, the Energy Refinement level. And his third son was even more of a talent, reaching the Energy Eruption level when he was only eighteen, although that was not yet public knowledge.

But now, his third son Yang Qi had committed a grave crime, had his martial arts crippled, and had led the clan into a catastrophe. Worse, his first and second sons had been struck with shadowblight, ensuring that they would live a life of torment. All of his sons were now crippled.

Of course, to see Yang Zhan experience such misfortune would make some people very happy. After all, when a clan lord fell, it would open the door of opportunity for many others.

Yang Qi's ears were so sensitive that he could hear the footsteps of ants, so despite the fact that the young man who had spoken had kept his voice down, Yang Qi had obviously heard him.

"Who?" he said loudly. "Who just said the wordcripple? Step forward immediately!"

The speaker was none other than the young man standing behind Yang Shi, who was his son Yang Feng. [1]

He was twenty-six years old, with energy arts in the Energy Eruption level. He had reached that level when he was twenty-four, so after two years of cultivation, his foundation was very strong.

In the past, he had been somewhat leery of Yang Qi, whom had been close to reaching the same level as him before he was even twenty.

But now, his response to Yang Qi's rebuke was nothing but a cold laugh. Looking over with scorn and arrogance, he said, "What.You heard me! Are you trying to tell me you threearen'tcripples? Your two brothers are poisoned, and will live lives of endless pain. And your sea of energy is destroyed. Crippled? You're worse than a cripple. You're a useless humiliation to our clan!"

"Oh really?" Yang Qi replied coolly. "You think I'm useless, Yang Feng? Alright. Let's have a little competition, right here. Let's see which one of us is really useless."

Beckoning for him to back off, Yang Zhan said, "Qi'er, now's not the time to try and show off. Stand down."

"Brother Yang Zhan," Yang Shi said, rising to his feet. "There's no need for you, the clan lord, to interfere in the squabbles of the younger generation. Despite the crimes your son has committed, he still wants to run his mouth? What the hell makes him think he has the right to do that?"

"Father, I know what I'm doing," Yang Qi said, his eyes flashing.

When Yang Zhan looked at his eyes, his own expression flickered with surprise, as though he had sensed something.

"What kind of a competition did you have in mind?" Yang Feng said. "Your martial arts are gone, so I could kill you with a single flick of my finger. Although, even if you hadn't lost your martial arts, you still wouldn't be a match for me." He suddenly clapped his hands together. "Well, if you really have a death wish, then I'll accommodate. Considering there are so many witnesses present, no one could accuse me of taking the initiative to try to fight you."

"That's right, Yang Feng," said another of the young talents. "Just hit him and see what happens. Yang Qi's probably hallucinating and thinks he hasn't lost his energy arts."

"Beat some sense into him!" someone else said. "Help him see the truth."

"Yang Qi was pretty amazing in the past," added another young one. "After all, he did reach the Energy Refinement level when he was only eighteen. But now he's a cripple, and still dares to brag. If you don't teach his stubborn ass a lesson now, then he'll probably end up getting killed by someone else…."

All of the young clan members in the hall began to laugh loudly.

"It shouldn't take long to see which of us is courting death, right?" Yang Qi said, clasping his hands behind his back casually, making him look very unlike a person suffering from crippled martial arts. "Those of you who laughed the loudest, why don't you come at me together? Aren't we supposed to have a big competition amongst us anyway? Why not do it now? Then we'll see which of you dares to laugh."

"What shameless boasting!" Yang Feng said through narrowed eyes. Suddenly, he thrummed with frigid energy; splaying his fingers, he summoned a web of it that immediately filled the air over Yang Qi's head.

"Frigid Net of Heaven!"

This was an energy art of the Yang Clan, one of many that were related to frigid ice. After trapping the opponent in the icy net, frigid energy would assault their meridians, and quickly freeze them.

Even as that net of energy spread out, Yang Qi made his move.

His muscles flexed, and then erupted with power like that of an ancient beast. A fiendish aura roiled out, causing everyone present to suddenly feel as if they were looking at some sort of devil escaped from a primeval hell.

RUMBLE!

Yang Qi moved so quickly that he seemed to vanish, and in the blink of an eye, was right in front of Yang Feng, toward whom he unleashed a fist strike.

When his foot touched down, it was like the stomp of an enormous mammoth, crushing the ground and causing the entire hall around them to shake. Even the pillars supporting the roof creaked, and dust began to drift down from the rafters above.

Yang Qi's fist strike was almost like a bomb exploding, powerful to the extreme.

Yang Feng's face fell, and he tried to call upon his frigid ice energy art to defend himself, throwing his arms out and shouting, "Flowing River of Iron Fetters!"

However, even as the words left his mouth, the fist slammed into him, sending him flying through the air, a streak that flew out of the hall, his arms broken and blood spraying out of his mouth.

Advertisements

When he slammed into the stone slabs outside, he tumbled head over heels, suffering more injuries. When he finally came to a stop, he looked up at Yang Qi for a moment, then collapsed into unconsciousness, unable to even say, 'You….'

Yang Qi had only used a single fist strike. But he was in the fifth phase, the Energy Eruption level, and thus, that single fist strike had hit Yang Feng with nearly deadly force. Even if Yang Feng had been fighting someone in the sixth phase, he would not have been so badly hurt, and would likely have been able to sustain three blows.

"What?!" Yang Shi blurted, gripping the arms of his chair so tightly that it shattered. Casting a glare at Yang Qi, he rushed over and picked Yang Feng up, pouring some true energy into him to begin the healing process.

Everyone stood there, blank looks on their faces. How could they ever have guessed that someone with crippled martial arts and a destroyed sea of energy could possibly be so strong?

1. Yang Feng: Feng means "wind"

Sage Monarch

At long last, some of the color returned to Yang Zhan's face.

"Qi'er!" he said, his eyes lighting up with delight. "Your martial arts aren't crippled after all?"

Never could he possibly have imagined that in what seemed to be a moment of ultimate despair, things would suddenly turn completely around.

"Father," Yang Qi said respectfully, "my sea of energy was indeed destroyed. However, because of being struck by lightning, I experienced some sort of transformation. My meridians and sea of energy recovered, and I actually got stronger. In fact, I advanced so dramatically that I'm already in the Energy Eruption level."

Considering that his eldest and second brother had both been seriously injured and even poisoned, Yang Qi's worries of the moment had disappeared. Actually, his fist strike from moments ago hadn't even been filled with the true force of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. He had only used Yang Clan martial arts, techniques that only clan members would have access to.

If he had actually used the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, then Yang Feng would have been shredded to pieces.

Smiling, Yang Zhan said, "Qi'er, Yang Feng has been in the Energy Eruption level for a long time now. The fact that you could so easily defeat him after just achieving your breakthrough indicates that there is more to your newfound powers than you've let on."

"You're right, Father. The lightning tempered my body, giving my fist strikes incredible force, force that actually surpasses that of ordinary experts in the Energy Eruption level." Yang Qi was well aware that the best thing he could do to help his father right now was not reveal the truth about what had happened to him. "In fact, I think I could even crush experts in the sixth phase, the Energy Weapon level."

For a long moment, Yang Zhan roared with laughter. Then he breathed a long sigh of relief and said, "The heavens have stepped in to rescue my bloodline! I'll definitely figure out a way to cure your eldest and second brothers from the shadowblight."

At this point, Yang Shi looked up from the broken body of his son, glared at Yang Qi, and said, "Very clever, you little swine! I can't believe you would use such ruthless methods against a member of your own clan!"

Advertisements

Yang Qi looked around at the gathered clan members. "Ladies and gentlemen, you all saw what happened; he was the one to make the first move. He can only blame himself for his lack of skill. And wasn't it only moments ago that all of you urged him to teach me a lesson? Except, the person to be taught a lesson turned out to be him. He dug his own grave, right? What's wrong with that, Yang Shi? What, you're gonna try to avenge him now?"

"You!" Yang Shi spat, clearly enraged. However, considering his status in the clan, it wouldn't be appropriate to make a move on Yang Qi. Besides, Yang Zhan was off to the side glaring at him menacingly, and the Humanoid True Energy that he had used a moment ago meant that his cultivation base was very close to the Master of Energy level, which struck even more fear into Yang Shi's heart.

Suddenly, one of Yang Qi's other uncles rose to his feet. "Yang Shi is your uncle, you little punk. Is that how you talk to your elders? And what makes you think you have the right to injure your cousin?"

Currently, there were over thirty experts in the hall who were considered uncles to Yang Qi because of their seniority in the clan. Yang Shi, Yang Zhen, and Yang Xu were the three most powerful among them, their energy arts all being in the eighth phase.

Most of the rest were in the sixth or seventh phases, with a few being as low as the fifth. Even still, they were all top experts. In the Rich-Lush Continent, anyone with fifth phase energy arts were considered extremely powerful, the type of individuals who could single-handedly defeat a hundred ordinary enemies.

In fact, according to the customs of the Yang Clan, anyone in the fifth phase or above could conduct affairs outside of the clan, and even settle down elsewhere to work on their own endeavors.

As for this uncle who had just rebuked Yang Qi, his name was Yang Kui. He had a cultivation base in the sixth phase, allowing him to form weapons from energy, and was considered one of the top experts within the clan. He had long since taken charge of the interests of the Yang Clan in Redleaf City in the east. [1]

"What's that supposed to mean? It was a fair match. Was I supposed to hold back or something? Besides, there's no way I'm going to walk on eggshells around people who are trying to usurp my father as the clan lord. I'm not being unreasonable, am I, Uncle Yang Kui? And why did you suddenly stand up? Don't tell meyouwant to fight me too? Well, that's fine. I'm more than happy to swap pointers. Hopefully you can last for a few more moves than Yang Feng."

The casual way that Yang Qi spoke caused Yang Kui's face to turn bright red.

"You!" he blurted, walking right out into the middle of the hall. "Fine. Since you asked for it, I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget, you disrespectful brat!"

"Please, do as you wish!" Yang Qi said, standing there straight and tall, apparently waiting for Yang Kui to attack him.

As for Yang Zhan, his eyebrows twitched as though he wanted to say something, but he held his tongue and waited to see how things would play out. He wanted to see what surprises this supposedly "unfilial" son of his had up his sleeve.

"Can Yang Qi really defeat an expert in the Energy Weapon level?"

The crowd was now looking on with bated breath.

"How is he doing all of this? Sixth phase experts are ten times stronger than people in the fifth phase. Even ten fifth-phase fighters working together wouldn't be able to take down someone in the sixth phase. Is Yang Qi looking to get killed?"

"I can't believe something like this happened. Yang Qi obviously had his martial arts crippled, but then received an unexpected blessing in the form of a lightning strike, causing his energy arts to significantly advance. I have to say, though, he's acting a bit too arrogantly. He's actually challenging someone in a higher phase than himself."

By now, most of the higher-level experts were whispering amongst themselves about the scene playing out, and the younger talented individuals were all staring at him with glittering eyes.

Of course, in terms of seniority, Yang Zhan was the highest-ranking member present.

Among the younger generation, Yang Qi and his brothers were actually somewhere in the middle. After all, over the past several years, quite a few geniuses had risen up in the subsidiary branches of the clan.

Glaring aggressively, Yang Kui looked at Yang Zhan and said, "Your son wants to fight me, Yang Zhan. What do you say?"

"It won't hurt for you to give him some advice about energy arts and cultivation base," Yang Zhan casually said.

"Fine. No holds barred! If I hurt him, I don't want to hear any complaints from you!" Yang Kui clenched his hands into fists and drew upon his energy arts. Then, he made a chopping motion with both hands, causing energy to surge out and take the form of two long sabers. After hefting them for a moment, he lunged at Yang Qi, slashing the sabers in his direction.

"Insane Devil Energy Sabers!"

Yang Kui cultivated the Insane Devil Energy Art unique to the Yang Clan, an aggressive and violent technique that used energy to create devilish sabers of frightening appearance, whose crazed aura would strike fear into the hearts of anyone with a lower cultivation base.

However, Yang Qi seemed completely calm.

With a single step, he evaded the blow. Then, he twisted like a wriggling snake, as smoothly as a fish swimming through water. It was none other than one of the most orthodox martial techniques of the Yang Clan, the One Hundred Transformations of the Fish-Dragon.

The Yang Clan had many unique martial techniques, all of them profound and mysterious. And when such techniques were cultivated to the pinnacle, they could turn the foul and rotten into the rare and ethereal.

Besides, with Yang Qi's Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth to power the Yang Clan martial techniques, it pushed them to the ultimate level of perfection. As a result, he completely evaded any danger. He had been one of the young elites of the clan to begin with, and definitely not a hedonistic silkpants. With his advanced cultivation base, and the several days of cultivation he had just experienced, he had matured, not just in his personality, but also in his martial abilities.

"Hmph!"

When Yang Kui saw that Yang Qi easily evaded his Insane Devil Energy Sabers, he shifted tactics. He splayed his fingers, causing five streams of energy to flow out that looked like flying swords, so sharp that they could slice iron as easily as mud. In fact, if such blades hit a human, they would likely cut that person in half.

Everyone in the audience could tell that Yang Qi was now in a very bad position. This was Yang Kui's Five Blooming Plum Blossoms, a trump card technique in which all five fingers summoned an energy weapon. It involved a heavy drainage of true energy, but was also so mysterious that it was nearly impossible to evade.

"Hundred Paces Divine Fist!" Yang Qi shouted, leaping backward, and simultaneously unleashing dozens of fist strikes. As he did, spiraling energy waves shot out to slam into the five energy swords.

Normally speaking, there was a massive gap between the fifth phase of Energy Eruption and the sixth phase of Energy Weapon. They were as different as the sky above and the mud down below. However, even a fierce tiger can be brought down by a pack of wolves. Yang Qi moved with incredible speed, utilizing his Hundred Paces Divine Fists over and over again. Spiraling energy smashed into the flying swords, until finally, they shattered into pieces.

They had been completely defeated by the Hundred Paces Divine Fists.

"What? How could he unleash so many Hundred Paces Divine Fists in such a short time? People in the Energy Eruption level can't draw so deeply on their true energy for such a protracted time!"

When Yang Shi, Yang Zhen, and Yang Xu saw what was happening, their eyes nearly popped out of their skulls. Yang Qi was violating some of the most common understandings of cultivation. His reserves of true energy seemed completely unreal.

Although his true energy reserves obviously weren't on the same level as Yang Kui, who was in the Energy Weapon level, they were still far beyond what they should have been. For someone like Yang Qi to utilize dozens of Hundred Paces Divine Fist enabled him to simply overwhelm the energy weapons which had been arrayed against him.

Essentially, using so many Hundred Paces Divine Fists made Yang Qi, who was only in the fifth phase, at least ten times more powerful than average.

'What powerful true energy!' Yang Kui thought, shaking physically as he looked at the remaining fist strikes closing in on him. Without any hesitation, he quickly summoned an energy shield.

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam! Bam!!!

A torrent of fist strikes slammed into the energy shield, causing it to ripple and distort, and also emanate a droning buzz.

And Yang Qi didn't stop. In the shortest amount of time, he unleashed more than a hundred fist strikes.

Each and every one sent energy streaming out, making it look like a river of motion around him. A raging aura filled the meeting hall, making everyone feel as though they were in the presence of some primeval beast.

At this point, the trembling audience couldn't hold back from making various exclamations of shock. Yang Qi's use of over a hundred fist strikes was simply too incredible.

"This guy… he's a freak! He's not even human! Even if he had a massive store of true energy, how could his meridians sustain this flow in the Energy Eruption level? Isn't he afraid of his meridians being damaged?"

"His meridians must not be human! He just unleashed over a hundred fist strikes! Not even demonlings can do that sort of thing!"

"What kind of meridians does he have? And how can his sea of energy sustain this? Unless his body is made of iron, there's no way he can keep this up, right? Does getting struck by lightning really make you this strong?"

Despite having witnessed what was happening with their own eyes, everyone was still partially convinced that they were seeing things.

Over and over, Yang Kui was shoved backward through the hall.

He couldn't even collect himself enough to fight back. He could only pour more true energy into his shield to protect himself. With each moment that ticked by, his true energy was draining away faster and faster.

As he continued to power his energy shield, Yang Kui thought, "Is this brat some kind of monster? Such power in the Energy Eruption level! Shouldn't he be dead? He's fighting as fiercely as a dragon or tiger! I'm in the sixth phase, but not even my energy arts are a match for him. If this keeps going, I'm going to run out of energy and suffer defeat."

However, Yang Kui was a veteran of over a hundred duels, so there was no way he would suffer defeat so easily.

Advertisements

"Insane Devil Detonation!" he shouted.

Pouring even more energy into his shield, he caused it to grow larger and larger, until it was a pulsing sphere. Finally, it exploded, completely wiping out any remaining fist strikes from Yang Qi.

Shaken, Yang Qi staggered backward as the blast from the Insane Devil Detonation shoved him across the battlefield. At this point, there was no way for him to unleash any more Hundred Paces Divine Fists.

"Stand down, you little punk!" Yang Kui growled, flying toward him like a bird. As he sailed through the air, he curled his fingers into hooks, making him look like a mighty eagle about to slash a decrepit wolf into pieces.

1. Yang Kui: Kui means "chief, head, important, outstanding, exception, stalwart.

Sage Monarch

Yang Qi remained completely calm in the face of Yang Kui's flying eagle attack.

Waves of energy battered against him, but he stood as still as a reef in the ocean, completely unmoving. Then, just before the attack hit, he twisted to the side, slipping out of the way like a fish, and causing the eagle attack to hit nothing but air. [1]

Energy surged in all directions, and Yang Kui's aura pulsed with power. He currently occupied the high ground, so yet again, he curled his hands into eagle claws and then slashed them at Yang Qi. Clearly, he would not give up until catching him.

From the perspective of the onlookers, Yang Kui looked like a mighty eagle, soaring through the air, slashing down over and over again with unimaginable force.

In contrast, Yang Qi was like a fish, slipping amongst the waves of energy, facing danger over and over again, and yet always managing to evade it. As this process continued, Yang Kui's true energy drained away with every moment that passed.

This wasn't a case of the eagle lacking in might, but rather, the fish being too evasive.

"How can this brat be so agile? How much of this can his fleshly body handle? How could he possibly push the One Hundred Transformations of the Fish-Dragon to such limits?"

Of course, everyone in the audience was equally stunned.

The Hundred Transformations of the Fish-Dragon that Yang Qi was using was actually a first-class technique of the Yang Clan, the type that only top masters would study. Normally speaking, even people in the sixth or seventh phases wouldn't be able to do what he was doing; it was simply too much of a strain on the body. In one moment he would seem as tough as iron, in another, as flexible as a bowstring, and after that, he would be as soft as cotton.

"Good. Great. Excellent…." Yang Zhan murmured, his eyes shining with delight. By this point, his other two sons had regained consciousness, and although they were still afflicted with shadowblight, the sight of Yang Qi fighting Yang Kui made it impossible for them to conceal the shock they felt.

Advertisements

"Father, wasn't third brother's sea of energy destroyed?" the eldest brother managed to say.

"Something marvelous happened to your third brother," Yang Zhan said. "Something marvelous and extremely important. The heavens have spared our bloodline. Just when everything seemed on the verge of falling apart, hope appeared. Your third brother might have come across some miracle, but the difference between the fifth and sixth phases is enormous. What if…?" Yang Zhan's eyes suddenly flashed as if with fire. "It doesn't matter. Your third brother's aura is deep, and his true energy seems to have no bounds. Yang Kui is doing little more than flailing about; the battle will end soon. Attacking like this is a huge drain on true energy. At the worst, it will end in a draw."

If Yang Zhan could analyze the fight in such a way, then Yang Kui could do so even more accurately. He had hoped to teach Yang Qi a lesson with his Insane Devil Energy Art, but only ended up unable to touch him, over and over again. And as the saying goes,if you ride a tiger, it's hard to get off. As his true energy reserves ran lower and lower, the danger he faced increased.

For someone in the sixth phase to be defeated by someone in the fifth would be a huge loss of face. If that happened, he would never again be able to hold his head high in public.

"DIE!" he shouted. Biting his tongue, he spat out some blood, which shot toward the top of his head like a flying arrow. There, he catalyzed it with his energy arts, causing it to explode, creating a blood mist that completely surrounded him, and caused the whole area to smell like blood.

Within that blood mist, his powers of attack were significantly enhanced. Without a pause, he splayed his five fingers out, causing his fingernails to grow out into what looked like iron scythes, each of them a meter long, which he then slashed toward the ground.

"Righteous Bloodshed Energy Art!" he shouted.

The experts of the Yang Clan all rose to their feet. "Yang Kui has actually been forced to use his Righteous Bloodshed Energy Art! That damages the meridians and burns one's sea of energy, damaging the cultivation base. Nobody would use that unless there was no other option at hand."

"A fifth phase fighter has forced a sixth phase fighter into this position? Of all the geniuses I've seen in my life, I've never seen any of them who could do this."

"Yang Zhan has turned a disaster into a blessing. When the council of chief elders finds out that he has a son like this, they're going to shower him with even more approval." The opinions of many of the neutral clan members were now being swayed.

"Things are definitely going to end soon. Now that the Righteous Bloodshed Energy Art is in play, that brat Yang Qi is definitely finished."

By this point, Yang Shi's eyes were sparkling with killing intent. Considering how outstanding Yang Qi was, he knew that if he wasn't killed now, then he would continue to advance, and become more and more of a problem.

However, in the moment that the killing intent appeared, Yang Zhan glanced over at him, eyes flashing, and he knew that he couldn't act.

"Stand down, Yang Qi!" Yang Kui shouted angrily shooting down toward the ground, the five iron scythes that were his fingernails completely locking down Yang Qi's avenues of retreat. As of this point, if Yang Qi wanted to keep fighting, it would be very risky.

'Time to go for broke!' Yang Qi thought. It wasn't a time to worry about every little detail. It was a life-or-death moment, and therefore he drew deeply upon his energy arts, and reached out to the lightning mammoth inside of him. Clenching his hands into fists, he punched out at the eagle-claw-scythes.

Crack! Rattle!

The lightning mammoth erupted with power, sending a mighty stream of electricity to cover Yang Qi inside and out.

The flow of electricity instantly dispersed Yang Kui's Righteous Bloodshed Energy Art, smashing into him and sending him flying back into one of the supporting columns in the hall, where he then slumped down onto the ground, muttering in pain.

Then, the electricity slowly faded away from Yang Qi.

The entire hall was blanketed by deep silence, and the eyes of everyone present flickered with astonishment.

What is the greatest mistake one can make? Forgetting that if someone is strong enough, they can make up for any deficiency. That is a truth that can never be changed.

"An energy art that contains lightning? Our Yang Clan has never had any energy arts like that, have we? Of all the countless sects and clans, only a very few have the ability to absorb the quintessence of lightning and turn it into true energy. How did Yang Qi do this? Could it really be true that he underwent a major transformation because of that lightning strike?"

After a very long moment passed, people began to recover and react. Yang Xu leaped into the air, flying over to Yang Kui to help him to his feet. After checking his injuries, he found that they were minor. However, his true energy had been drained so severely that it would likely be ten days or even half a month before he recovered.

Everyone was now eyeing the freakish Yang Qi as he stood there stock still, eyes closed as he examined himself internally. The lightning mammoth was still active, sending a stream of life essence energy out into his meridians and bones. As that happened, the second particle within him began to stir as if it might awaken.

To his inner view, it was like his body consisted of those eight hundred forty million particles, scattered throughout a vast universe. They were like stars, each one of which contained a megamammoth in embryonic form, waiting to gain consciousness.

"Good! Once that second particle awakens, my true energy will become doubly powerful, like that of two ancient megamammoths. That major transformation will let me step into the sixth phase, the Energy Weapon level. Then everyone will be really shocked."

Everyone was already in a state of complete astonishment because of the events of this day. One could only imagine what the reactions would be like when he reached the sixth phase.

In most situations it would take twenty or more years of painstaking cultivation to push one's energy arts from the fifth phase to the sixth. And Yang Qi would likely do it in only a few days? To most people, it would seem completely impossible.

This fight, this true energy conflict, had allowed him to absorb more of the lightning mammoth, which was the only reason why he could possibly make such shocking progress.

At this point, a young man strode out of the crowd, faced Yang Qi, and clapped in applause. "Cousin Yang Qi, the fact that you, with a fifth phase cultivation base, managed to defeat an expert in the sixth phase, is completely spectacular. To call you a genius is not an exaggeration in any sense of the word. It's been a long time since I've been in a fight myself, and seeing your performance makes me itch to have a go. What do you say we exchange some pointers?"

Yang Qi looked over at the young man and recognized him as one of the top geniuses in the clan, Yang Honglie.

"Well, if it isn't Cousin Honglie," he said. "If anyone in our generation deserves to be called a genius, it's you! You stepped into the sixth phase long ago, and I bet you're getting close to the seventh phase. If I remember correctly, you're over ten years older than me, right?"

Yang Honglie was indeed well over ten years older than Yang Qi, and had stepped into the Energy Eruption level when he was only fifteen years old. Now, several years later, he was still making rapid progress, and was closing in on the seventh phase, the Energy Manifestation level. In that level, one could give true energy a corporeal form, which was nothing to look down upon.

Based on his progress up to this point, Yang Honglie was likely going to reach the eighth phase, the Energy Incarnation level, before he was even thirty. At that point, he could unleash the energy art of Mind Incarnation.

Anyone in the Rich-Lush Continent who could reach the eighth phase before the age of thirty was considered to be a true genius.

At the moment, Yang Qi knew that he wasn't a match for someone in the seventh phase. His sudden defeat of the sixth phase Yang Kui had been completely unexpected, and had been possible because of the power of the lightning mammoth, and the way it manifested lightning as true energy. Furthermore, Yang Kui wasn't even ranked highly among sixth phase experts.

And the seventh phase was absolutely and completely different from the sixth.

And yet, with the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, Yang Qi was fairly certain that it wouldn't be long before he could defeat Yang Honglie and become the number one expert of his generation in the clan.

"Qi'er, come over here," Yang Zhan said. "You've brought a lot of honor to your father by what you've done today." Sending out some glowing energy, he pulled Yang Qi back to his side. "Don't push yourself. Cousin Honglie is over ten years older than you, with very profound cultivation base and energy arts. You have to admit that."

"What?!" one of the other young elites said. "Weren't you just running your mouth, Yang Qi? You defeated Yang Kui of the elder generation, but now you're too scared to fight one of your own peers?"

Another young man stepped forward and added, "Yeah, that's right! What happened to all your showboating from moments ago?"

"It's only reasonable for the young ones to interact and learn from each other," said a grim-faced old man.

Advertisements

All of them knew that Yang Qi had just secured a reputation as a consummate genius. However, the fact that he was now in the limelight only prompted them to try to cut him down a notch.

"Yang Qi, isn't Honglie more than ten years older than you? Maybe you should wait ten years before you try to take him on. Of course, he'll still be ten years older than you then, so maybe that excuse isn't a very good one to rely on."

Everyone started laughing.

"Ten years?" Yang Qi said, his voice cold. "Nah. How about three months? Yang Honglie, I hereby challenge you to a competition during our Yang Clan's autumn hunt in the Blackcorpse Mountains, three months from now. Why don't we see which of us will come out on top there?"

1. This combination of the fish and the eagle is actually a bit more complicated than it seems. It's a reference to a poem written by Mao Zedong, although I don't think the point of the poem is particularly relevant to this section of action. The author actually takes a line from the poem, splits it in two, and uses them to describe the movements of Yang Qi and Yang Kui.

Sage Monarch

Yang Qi's proposal of a duel in three months once again shocked everyone to the core.

Eyes sparkling, Yang Honglie said, "Is this some kind of joke, Yang Qi?"

He simply couldn't believe that Yang Qi's cultivation base could possibly catch up to his own. It seemed like a completely preposterous notion.

Even if some consummate master came along and tried to impart his energy arts into Yang Qi, it still wouldn't be possible. If things were that easy, then people wouldn't need to actually practice cultivation to make progress.

"No joke," Yang Qi replied with decisiveness that could sever nails and chop iron. "In the presence of all of these members of the older generation, we can both promise to compete in the hunt three months from now. Regardless of who wins or loses, we can at least have a good time of it. What do you say? Do you dare to accept?"

Yang Honglie laughed uproariously in response. "Cousin, you really think too much of yourself. But since you want to come looking for trouble, how could I refuse you?"

And thus, in the presence of all the members of the older generation, the two of them agreed to settle things in three months during the autumn hunt.

The Yang Clan's autumn hunt was modeled after the Sage Ancestor Dynasty's imperial hunts. All of the top experts in the clan would gather to hunt demons and devils, to practice martial arts, and to promote the overall strength of the clan.

The truth was that in the Rich-Lush Continent, martial prowess was the most important thing of all. All of the rich and powerful clans wanted to see whose cultivation base and energy arts were the most powerful. The strongest would become famous, would have much power and authority… as well as other benefits.

Whenever it came time for the autumn hunt, the young ones in the clan would arrange for various competitions and contests to see who was the most outstanding of all.

Advertisements

When Yang Zhan saw what was happening, he blinked, then transmitted a message to Yang Qi using his energy arts. "Qi'er, are you sure about this?"

Sending his response with his own energy arts, Yang Qi said, "Don't worry, Father. I'm absolutely confident."

Yang Zhan nodded and replied, "Very well. After this forum is over, you and I will have a chat to plan for the future. We also need to figure out how to save your two brothers."

With that, he raked his gaze across the crowd and said, "Gentlemen, I invited you here today to talk about important clan matters. And now, we have a final answer to the three main questions. First: I, Yang Zhan, will provide the compensation for the Latent Dragon Pill. Second: My son benefited greatly from his disaster, and his energy arts advanced significantly. Not only is he not a cripple, he has proven himself to be a genius. Do any of you dare to talk about punishing him now? Third: As far as the issue of who will serve as clan lord, we will wait for word to come down from the council of chief elders."

Even as the words left his mouth, the cry of an eagle could be heard from above. A moment later, a golden bird appeared, as large as a horse, bathed in radiant sunlight as it flew toward them. It almost looked like it was made from pure gold as it landed in the courtyard in a gust of wind.

"The clan's golden eagle!" a few people murmured.

All of the experts of the older generation rose to their feet. After all, this golden eagle had a very extraordinary background, and was the mount used by the ancient chief elders.

Powerful energy fluctuations rolled out as an old man dismounted. He had white hair, and a long white beard, and appeared to be in his late nineties.

"Great Uncle!" Yang Zhan said, saluting formally.

This old man was Yang Zhougong, and although he wasn't in the ninth phase, only the eighth, with a cultivation base the same as Yang Zhan's, he represented the council of chief elders, and was thus given the utmost respect. [1]

"I heard your son caused a big disaster," he said, "so I'm here on behalf of the council of chief elders to address the issue." Patting his golden eagle, he looked at Yang Zhan, his eyebrows dancing up and down. "Yang Zhan, your cultivation base continues to advance spectacularly. In all likelihood, you'll reach the ninth phase within eight to ten years, whereupon you will be a true grandmaster of energy arts."

"Great Uncle, my son might have caused a big disaster, but he grew because of it, and even acquired great good fortune."

When further explanation was provided, Yang Zhougong was visibly shocked. He looked over at Yang Qi's defeated foes, Yang Feng and Yang Kui, and then turned his attention to Yang Qi himself.

Whoosh!

Reaching out, he sent out a stream of blue true energy, which took the shape of a hand that grabbed at Yang Qi.

Yang Qi didn't even have time to react. The hand instantly reached him, whereupon Yang Zhougong's boundless energy arts entered his meridians.

Yang Qi had no visible reaction. After all, he had already made sure that his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth was well-hidden, as deep as if they were in the pits of hell. And the lightning mammoth had vanished without a trace, making it impossible for Yang Zhougong to see it.

"Very tough body," Yang Zhougong murmured. "Durable. Thrumming life force. Less like a human and more like a primeval beast…."

"Great Uncle," Yang Zhan explained, "Qi'er was struck by lightning, and it made him like this. His meridians were actually refined by the process."

In the end, Yang Zhougong couldn't find any evidence to provide any other explanation. All he knew was that Yang Qi had spectacular potential. "Even experts in the Lifeseizing level would find it difficult to escape with their lives after being struck by lightning like that. And he benefited from it. Simply miraculous."

Releasing Yang Qi, Yang Zhougong looked around at the crowd. "Yang Zhan will continue to serve as the clan lord. The clan will be facing some tough times, so we all need to stick together. No infighting will be permitted. This is simply a matter of paying back some money. As long as we all remain standing in the end, we'll be able to make a comeback eventually. Yang Zhan, take good care of your son. In the future, he'll be sure to serve the clan well."

"Yes sir," everyone said, bowing their heads. When the chief elders spoke, even top masters would have no choice but to rein in their ambitions.

Everyone realized that Yang Qi was now a major force to be reckoned with. He had fought for the honor of his father, and only a father with a spectacular son could hope to hold on to the title of clan lord.

Whoosh!

Yang Zhougong leaped back up onto his golden eagle, then flew off into the air. He left just as quickly as he had arrived.

And thus, the internal crisis within the clan was put to rest.

As for Yang Shi, he let out a cold snort. "I'll be taking my leave now. See you in three months, at the autumn hunt."

Flicking his sleeve, he led his subordinates away.

One by one, the experts from the other subsidiary branches also took their leave.

Two hours later, the Yang Clan mansion was quiet, and the only people left behind in the meeting hall were Yang Zhan, Yang Qi, his two poisoned brothers and the steward.

"Qi'er," Yang Zhan said, "I never could have imagined that your catastrophe would turn into a blessing." At this point, his eyes flickered with cold light. "However, your brothers were hit with shadowblight. It seems to me someone was targeting me specifically, in concert with the disaster you incited. We have to uncover the truth of who was behind it."

"You're right," Yang Qi replied. "We have to get revenge, and we must also heal eldest brother and second brother." Kneeling down, he sent his powerful energy arts to work inside his brothers, and soon confirmed that the poison could not be driven away. As the energy and blood flowed through them, the poison joined it, becoming a part of the body itself, and its metabolism.

The shadowblight was almost like sweat that simply couldn't be removed from the body.

Yang Qi's eldest brother sighed when he felt Yang Qi's true energy enter him. "Third Brother, your true energy is different from father's. It feels much more pleasant."

"Really?" Yang Qi said, surprised. Inside, he thought, 'I wonder if my Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth could be uniquely useful in combating the shadowblight. My true energy isn't particularly strong, so it's possible the effects are limited. But if I worked hard at cultivation….'

At this point, Yang Zhan said, "Qi'er, there does seem to be something strange with your true energy. You've been tempered by lightning, and have transformed in certain ways. Starting today, I'm going to teach you one of the most profound techniques of the Yang Clan, the Invincible King's Fist. Since you swore an oath to defeat Yang Honglie in three months, you need to make sure to follow through on your word to fight him."

"Invincible King's Fist…?" Yang Qi murmured, shaken. He had heard of this technique, and knew it was one of the most powerful in the clan. In fact, it was nearly a royal-class energy art.

Energy arts were generally divided into classes, those being: third-class, second-class, first-class, royal-class, imperial-class, saintly-class, heavenly-class, and godly-class.

The Invincible King's Fist was a cultivation technique that existed right between the first-class and royal-class level.

For the most part, a first-class energy art cultivation technique could support an aristocratic clan for hundreds of years, perhaps even thousands.

Royal-class energy arts were enough to found royal dynasties.

As for imperial-class, saintly-class, and heavenly-class energy arts, they were the things of legend.

When it came to the godly-class energy arts, as the name implied, they were the type that ordinary humans couldn't even cultivate. They were the techniques of spirits and gods.

Yang Qi was fairly certain that his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth was at the very least a heavenly-class energy art. And he was even convinced that it might be godly-class. After all, it was simply too profound. Each of the eight hundred forty million tiny particles within him had the power of an ancient megamammoth, and when they combined would equal the power of a godmammoth. That was indeed the power of a god or spirit, something that surpassed humankind.

If word leaked that a godly-class energy art had appeared in the lands, it could lead to a major catastrophe, and therefore, Yang Qi kept the truth hidden from his father.

The more people who knew the truth, the more danger there would be. This was the type of thing that could lead to entire clans being exterminated. Yang Qi knew that before he told his father, he had to make sure that he was strong enough to protect the clan as a whole.

After a moment of silence, the steward said, "Lord, if you plan to pass on a technique to the third young master, then I'll go out to stand guard." Bowing, he left.

"Qi'er, watch closely. This is the first stance of the Invincible King's Fist. It's called:Triumph in Every Battle…."

Fiery streams of energy shot out of Yang Zhan. In the blink of an eye, the true energy behind him took the form of six long arms that resembled those of crabs or spiders.

The powerful arms of true energy thrummed with muscle and power as they moved into a magical sealing mark. At the same time, Yang Zhan's aura surged. All in all, Yang Qi was left completely shocked by what he was seeing.

Advertisements

"The ultimate expression of the Invincible King's Fist is a three-headed six-armed image. At the moment, I can only summon the six arms. I haven't yet succeeded with the three heads. By the time I do, I'll be in the ninth phase, the Master of Energy level. Watch closely. There are six moves in total.Triumph in Every Battle, Victory in Every Fight, No Stronghold Too Powerful, Defy All Laws and Principles, Eternally Undefeated and All Phenomena Bend to the Master."

The six arms behind him began to move in shocking fashion as he went through the forms, right there in the hall, unleashing attacks that even affected the gardens and lakes surrounding the area.

At one point, the lake reacted as though it had been hit with a falling star, causing water to explode in all directions, filling the entire Yang Clan mansion with mist.

"Such incredible power!" Yang Qi murmured, his face pale from shock. Although this attack couldn't be considered world-rattling, it was enough to dry out a lake or topple a low-lying mountain.

1. Yang Zhougong: Zhou means "eternity, eon, time, universe, etc." and Gong means "public, authority, international, universal, impartial, fair, just, male"

Sage Monarch

After revealing the might of the Invincible King's Fist, Yang Zhan looked a bit pale. Clearly, it was something he could only do once, not multiple times in a row.

After finishing the demonstration, he explained all of the details of the technique to Yang Qi, including the hand gestures the arms made, the cultivation method, how to circulate his true energy properly, and the relevant details regarding his meridians. Only after confirming that Yang Qi was completely familiar with all of it did he finally move on to another topic.

"Time is very limited, Qi'er. You have to make use of every moment to train. I'll work on finding out who is targeting the Yang Clan, and I'll also try to come up with a way to expel the poison from your brothers."

At that point, he called the steward back in. "Lord, what orders do you have?"

"Bring out everything from the treasure storehouses. Do a complete inventory of all business endeavors, and then sell the businesses. Take everything over to the city magistrate's mansion and work to make sure the entire debt of the Latent Dragon Pill is paid off."

Upon hearing this, Yang Qi's face turned ashen, and he clenched his hands into fists.

He was a member of the direct bloodline of the Yang Clan, a bloodline that was incredibly wealthy. And now, he was responsible for losing the entire family fortune. Silk, farms, medicinal ingredient shops, spirit stone stores, armories, jewels…. It was all being handed over to the city magistrate's mansion to compensate for the Latent Dragon Pill.

Yang Qi was very well aware of what a Latent Dragon Pill could do. It was a first-class medicinal pill that was supposedly refined from the blood of dragons. After consuming it, one's blood would gain traces of dragon power, which would increase both physical strength and lifespan.

The city magistrate had originally possessed two. One of them he had used to break into the Master of Energy level, and the other he had kept locked up in a private chamber. Yang Qi had somehow bribed the guards to gain access to the chamber, stolen the pill, and then given it to Yun Hailan. Of course, his attempt to win her over was a complete failure, as she betrayed him.

Just one of those medicinal pills was enough to clean out the entire direct bloodline of the Yang Clan. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be long before servants, guards, and other members of the clan wouldn't have a way to get food.

Advertisements

After all, the Yang Clan mansion was staffed by well over a thousand people.

"It's not a big deal, son," Yang Zhan said, clasping Yang Qi's shoulder. "As long as we're alive, all of the money we lose can be earned back. Strength is the most important thing. We'll pay for that Latent Dragon Pill, then figure out how to make the money back later."

Yang Qi nodded and left, but the entire time, he was thinking one thing. 'I'm going to get that Latent Dragon Pill back!'

About ten streets down from the Yang Clan, there was another sprawling complex with a huge sign above the main gate that read "Chen Mansion".

This was another of the rich and powerful clans in Yanhaven, the Chen Clan.

In the Chen Clan's meeting hall, four clan lords were in the middle of a conference. They were the lords from the Wang, Chen, Liu, and Li Clans.

Lord Chen wore a voluminous gown, and had profound energy arts. Even as he sat there, he was surrounded by concentric rings of energy, which were the manifestation of his unique Three Rings Energy Art, a first-class technique.

"Lords, are you aware of the situation with the Yang Clan?" he said calmly.

"Of course," replied Lord Wang, tapping the arm of his chair. "And I'm fairly certain of what the final outcome will be. The experts from the Yang Clan's subsidiary branches will try to force Yang Zhan to abdicate. Did you see that golden eagle earlier? That means their council of chief elders already intervened to arbitrate. As for what exact decision was made, it's hard to say. The subsidiary clans already left Yanhaven, making it a bit hard to gather more information.

"The Yang Clan is the highest ranked among all the aristocratic clans, and Yang Zhan's cultivation base is higher than ours. That much is without question. However, his third son's martial arts have been crippled. And his two other sons were seen being carried in from outside of the city; apparently, they were poisoned. And according to my informants, the Yang Clan's steward has been gathering inventory and selling businesses, and is in contact with the city magistrate's mansion. If the Yang Clan compensates for what was stolen, I'm afraid they're going to be completely cleaned out."

"The Yang Clan is clearly on the decline," said Lord Liu. "Considering we all have various scores to settle with them, why don't we join forces and strike them while they're down! The only down side is that Yang Zhan isn't hurt. If he was hit with shadowblight too, it would have been perfect."

Lord Chen chuckled in sinister fashion. "Hmph!He'll get poisoned sooner or later."

In response to his words, the other clan lords shivered.

"Don't tell me…."

"Yes," Lord Chen said. "The Chen Clan has formed an alliance with the House of Shadowblight." Rising to his feet, he clapped his hands. In response, several masked, black-clothed figures appeared. From the coldness that surrounded them, it was obvious that they cultivated yin-based energy arts.

"This is the emissary from the House of Shadowblight, Arhat Hyperblight. His energy arts and cultivation base have reached the peak of the eighth phase, giving him command of Mind Incarnation. He's on the very cusp of being in the Master of Energy level."

The other clan lords exchanged glances and eventually rose awkwardly to their feet.

Arhat Hyperblight chuckled in dark fashion, causing goosebumps to rise up on everyone present.

"There are a few reasons we have targeted the Yang Clan," he said. "First is the mighty Yang Zhan. At some point in the past, he used an airmastery plant, which makes him the perfect vessel to create a flying blightmaster puppet. Second is the mysterious martial technique of the Yang Clan, the Invincible King's Fist. Third, and most importantly, is that the House of Shadowblight wants to get to Yang Susu, who is Yang Zhan's adoptive sister, and who is also a disciple of the Demi-Immortal Institute. We can't get into the Demi-Immortal Institute, but if the Yang Clan is put into danger, she will definitely come to their aid. After all, she has long since adopted the surname Yang for herself…."

With that, Arhat Hyperblight again chuckled in sinister fashion.

'This… is turning into a struggle between two massively domineering sects…?' That was what all of the other clan lords were thinking as they exchanged vaguely awkward glances.

In the Rich-Lush Continent, there were many rich and powerful clans, but they generally existed on a lower level than the city magistrates, who in turn existed on a lower level than the enormous sects. Only the Sage Ancestor Dynasty was powerful enough to rival the sects.

"Fellow lords," said Lord Chen, "we're going to make sure that this time, the Yang Clan falls for all time! After we deal with Yang Zhan, the subsidiary branches will be much easier to handle. As for their council of chief elders, the experts of the House of Shadowblight will take care of them! The Chen Clan and the House of Shadowblight are going to provide many benefits to all of your clans.

"And now, let us begin discussing the particulars of how we will make our move."

And thus, the conspiracy began to take shape.

A few days had passed since the Yang Clan forum. People in Yanhaven had taken note that the steward was clearing out the businesses and handing over the wealth of the clan to the city magistrate. Before long, everyone knew that the Yang Clan's direct bloodline was going bankrupt. It was also public knowledge that Yang Qi was crippled, and his two brothers had been poisoned.

Everyone was talking about how the Yang Clan was on the decline.

In the Yang Clan mansion, many of the handmaidens, servants, and guards were getting very nervous. As for Yang Zhan, in addition to clearing out the clan's wealth, he also sent people to investigate the circumstances of his sons' poisoning, and to search for antidotal medicine.

Yang Qi watched it all happening, and was unable to help. All he could do was remain in seclusion practicing cultivation. Only if he could break into a higher level could he possibly help his clan and family.

It was a clear night, with a river of stars stretching overhead, glittering in mysterious fashion.

Outside of Yanhaven, in a mountain range that few people visited, Yang Qi could be seen running at top speed as he went about training. Energy swirled around him as he tore through the air, causing rumbling sounds to echo around him.

He was now capable of covering vast distances in travel, roughly 500 kilometers during the day, and 400 at night. Furthermore, he was advancing in both physical strength and his energy arts.

Over the past few days, it was on a daily basis that he would travel into the wild mountains a few hundred kilometers outside of Yanhaven. There, he would cultivate his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. After all, the aura of the awakening of a megamammoth was so strong that any top experts who were nearby would notice it.

After about five or six days of cultivation, his true energy was pulsing, seemingly on the verge of pushing toward a breakthrough.

After running for a while, he reached a valley within the mountains.

It was roughly bottle gourd-shaped, and was very mysterious. There were no beasts, no snakes, no sounds of any kind, the reason being that the aura of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth was so fiendish that animals couldn't deal with it. Not even the fiercest of beasts would dare to move once they sensed it.

"This place will do," Yang Qi murmured. Planting his feet like those of a mammoth, and twisting his arms like one's trunks, he let out a shout that resonated through the valley, even causing minor rockslides.

"Hell-Crushing Godmammoth! Megamammoth, awaken!"

He pushed his energy arts to their limits, causing the lightning mammoth to send electricity coursing through him, filling all parts of his body.

CRACK!

It was like the sound of a cocoon breaking open, and a butterfly emerging.

A majestic aura erupted from the top of his head, spreading out with wildness in all directions. Behind him, it was just possible to see two ancient megamammoths, wild and filled with madness, ready to trample anything in their path.

A second particle was now awake.

Yang Qi now had the power of two ancient megamammoths.

Ancient megamammoths were far removed from modern-day elephants. With an effortless tug of the trunk, they could uproot massive trees. They were about three to four times the size of elephants, with pelts of thick fur that were impervious to all sorts of weapons. Their skin was like copper, and their bones like iron, and some of them could even manipulate the vital energy of heaven and earth to produce energy arts similar to those created by humans. Because of all those things, they completely dominated all of the devilish beasts of ancient times.

According to the legends, megamammoths were actually descendants of the godmammoths.

For a young man like Yang Qi to be able to unleash the power of two ancient megamammoths was almost too terrifying to comprehend.

Advertisements

Energy erupted from all of his pores, accompanied by a piercing sound like a steam whistle, or the buzz of countless bees. Yang Qi crossed his arms, causing the previously invisible true energy to begin to take visible shape.

It collected in his palms, then poured out of his body and rapidly became corporeal.

Within moments, it had taken the shape of a chaotic, primeval spear.

This was the sixth phase of energy arts, the Energy Weapon level.

Take energy, and form it into a weapon!

Sage Monarch

The long spear pulsed with a hellish aura; apparently its origin was the unique true energy flow provided by the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth.

Infernal Deity Spear!

The sixth phase of energy arts was the Energy Weapon level, in which one's energy could be formed into a weapon. Such weapons were not randomly created; they were governed by complex rules and mechanics. They were made from different types of true energy, and then summoned through the various acupoints in the human body, in conformity with whatever energy arts were unique to that practitioner.

If the weapons were randomly created, they would obviously not be very powerful, and would be easy to defeat in combat.

As for Yang Qi's Infernal Deity Spear, it was primitive in construction, and almost looked like it was made from stone. It pulsed with a hellish aura, and had a blood-red tip that would cause anyone who looked at it to feel as though their soul might be pulled into hell if they kept looking.

With this spear in hand, Yang Qi felt like he was actually a god of hell.

"Infernal Deity Spear!" he shouted, stabbing out with the spear. Instantly, the power of megamammoths rose up within him, causing vortexes to spring up inside his body. These were not ordinary vortexes, but instead, hell vortexes.

Once these vortexes sprang into action, explosive energy erupted out.

With that, he threw the Infernal Deity Spear, which streaked through the air, flying several hundred paces before stabbing into the side of a mountain. The mountain was like soft tofu to the spear, which emitted massive rumblings as it hewed out a massive cave so deep that it was difficult to see the end.

"Such might! This spear is so fast and powerful that if I used it to fight Yang Shi and his frigid ice energy art, I wouldn't have any trouble at all defeating him. And he's in the eighth phase!"

Advertisements

Yang Qi peered into the smoky cave that had been hewn out, and suddenly had a much better understanding of the might of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. Whether it was the method of forming true energy, or the raw strength, it was definitely beyond the compare of other energy arts.

Back when Yang Shi had used his frigid ice energy art to summon a blue spear, its might wasn't even close to the Infernal Deity Spear.

And he was in the eighth phase, while Yang Qi was merely in the sixth.

Reaching down, Yang Qi picked up a stone off the ground, then drew on the hell vortexes to throw it. Instantly, it burst into flames and slammed into a nearby boulder, causing it to explode.

"Awesome! Normally, you have to cultivate to the peak of the seventh phase before you can pierce rocks and cause explosions. Just how strong is this energy art of mine? Unfortunately, I still have a lot of progress to make. I can't extend and retract my true energy, so I still had to personally throw that rock."

In the sixth phase, one could form weapons, but couldn't control them from a distance.

However, in the seventh phase, it was possible to extend true energy to wield weapons from a distance.

As for retracting the true energy, that was very useful in combat because it could help conserve strength. As was to be expected, the seventh phase was roughly ten times as powerful as the sixth in terms of battle prowess.

In fact, that was the reason why Yang Honglie felt so confident in being able to lord it over Yang Qi. Technically speaking, Yang Qi's lower level of energy arts mastery meant that he shouldn't be a match for Yang Honglie.

But now, thanks to the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, he was already confident that he could take on Yang Honglie. And that was especially true considering he had his Infernal Deity Spear, which could move with such speed that no one could possibly evade it.

This spear was not an ordinary weapon. When it was unleashed in an attack, screams like those from hell would echo out, as though millions upon millions of ghosts and devils were howling. Anyone who heard that would be shocked to the core, and would be unable to evade the attack, which in some ways was both mental and physical.

The truth was that even if some other genius somehow acquired the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, that person wouldn't be able to form the Infernal Deity Spear.

The reason Yang Qi could was because of the lightning mammoth, the possible product of some powerful expert's cultivation and true energy.

Speaking of which, Yang Qi was still curious as to why the golden imp in his forehead had remained completely unmoving up to this point. The quintessence it had left behind was empowering to a shocking degree, allowing Yang Qi to surpass ordinary people in many ways.

As his true energy surged, Yang Qi felt more relaxed and comfortable than ever, and finally threw his head back and let loose a long cry. It had only been a few days, and he already reached the sixth phase, the Energy Weapon level. Such an accomplishment was the type rarely seen in the Rich-Lush Continent.

"Invincible King's Fist!" he shouted, unleashing the quasi-royal-class martial technique as best he could. As his energy flowed, his fists became like mountains, moving with rapid speed this way and that. The air was ripped apart, and the dirt was cleaved as though by an axe.

The Infernal Deity Spear was something that he couldn't use lightly; if anyone saw it, it would surely lead to a major catastrophe. However, he could use the Invincible King's Fist any time he wanted, making the quasi-royal-class something that could not be looked down on.

In his recent days of cultivation, he had already practiced all of the stances and forms of his new fist technique until he had them down perfectly. Although he couldn't yet summon the six-armed image of true energy like his father, he could still unleash attacks so explosive they could hew crevices into mountains. At this point, he could easily tear anyone in the sixth phase to shreds.

Soon, it was about midnight, and the valley was starting to get very cold. At that point, Yang Qi took a break from cultivation. Leaping up into the trees, he began to travel out of the mountains, more nimble than a monkey.

Seventh phase experts could surpass this. They could flit along the tops of the trees themselves, and some could even use special methods to form true energy wings, thus making it possible to actually glide through the air. With those techniques, traveling 1,500 kilometers in a day wouldn't even be a problem.

When it came to wings, if he cultivated the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth all the way to the seventh phase, then he could form Fiend-Devil Wings, which were far superior to true energy wings.

Unfortunately, the Yang Clan did not possess any technique that could be used to form wings out of true energy, which was a weakness of theirs.

Such true energy wing techniques were considered very rare, and were usually tightly kept secrets in the organizations that possessed them.

'Yun Hailan. Song Haishan…. You two betrayed me, clean and simple. And I'm going to pay you back one of these days. Unfortunately, that time is not right now. But wait until my cultivation base gets stronger. Once I fully absorb that lightning mammoth, then I'll pay you back in like kind.'

Yang Qi knew that restoring his clan's honor and glory, helping his father, and saving his brothers were the most important things. But the greatest thorn in his side was still how Yun Hailan had betrayed him.

If he didn't avenge that wrong, then he didn't deserve to be called a person.

Before long, Yang Qi was out of the mountains and heading back toward Yanhaven.

In the hundreds of kilometers surrounding the city were all sorts of garrisons, villages and towns, scattered about as numerous as the stars in the sky. They were connected by a complex web of roads, the biggest of which were wide enough for a dozen or so horse carts to travel abreast. Each and every road was paved with limestone slabs, and were very well maintained.

In the Rich-Lush Continent, almost everyone could practice cultivation, even the common people. Therefore, creating fabulous buildings and roads was no difficulty for them.

Of course, most ordinary citizens could only cultivate third-class energy arts, and most of them never progressed past the fourth phase, the Energy Refinement level.

However, that was still no small feat. People in the fourth phase were still strong enough to carry a hundred pounds while running at full speed. It was strong men such as they who repaired roads, built buildings, dug ditches, and quarried rocks from mountains. That was why the Rich-Lush Continent was filled with amazing buildings, well-maintained roads, and other rich goods.

It was for that very reason that the name of the continent itself had the word 'rich' in it.

Occasionally, a commoner would manage to hoard enough Energy Convergence Pills to make a cultivation breakthrough and enter the Energy Eruption level. Such people would immediately be recruited by the rich and powerful clans, or by the nobility, and would serve as special guards. As they became a part of whatever organization they joined, they would eventually gain access to higher-level energy arts.

Suddenly, something caught Yang Qi's ear. 'What's that? Are there people fighting on the banks of the Yan River over there?'

Yanhaven was built next to the mist-covered Yan River, which was very convenient for many reasons.

The river itself was dozens of kilometers wide, and both of its banks featured sprawling beaches filled with reedy patches of vegetation, boulders, and the like. The beautiful terrain features actually made those beaches the perfect location to remain concealed, and many high-level energy artists would make their home there.

As Yang Qi was making his way past one such beachy area, he suddenly sensed energy fluctuations, and heard the sounds of fighting. Stopping in place, he looked ahead to find a young woman besieged by more than ten black-garbed men.

The black-garbed men were all experts in the fifth phase, the Energy Eruption level. One of them was particularly tall and impressive, and had an energy projection behind him that looked like a vicious ghost face. From the true energy fluctuations rolling off of him, it seemed that his energy arts were related to poison.

He was obviously their leader, and the fact that he could form true energy into a ghost face indicated that he was a bit more advanced than Yang Qi, and was in the seventh phase, the Energy Manifestation level.

'Are those the energy arts of the House of Shadowblight?' Yang Qi was quite a perceptive person, and almost immediately could sense that this Ghost Face Energy Art was somehow related to the poison his two brothers had been struck with. Possibly, these black-garbed men were enemies bent on harming the Yang Clan.

As for the young woman they were fighting, she was clad in white garments, and wielded a green sword. Every sweep of her weapon sent streams of sword energy out that would form into immortal cranes, which would then attack the ghost face.

WHOOSH!

A rain of crossbow bolts suddenly erupted from the other black-garbed men, each of them as thick and long as a spear.

Advertisements

"Are those Army-Felling Crossbows?" Yang Qi murmured, shocked. Army-Felling Crossbows were particularly lethal, and could tear right through true energy, even when it was formed into a shield.

For example, the energy shield that Yang Kui had summoned, although it could be said to be impervious to all sorts of weapons, would actually be useless against Army-Felling Crossbows.

Within moments, the air was full of razor-sharp bolts, heading like a cloud of locusts toward the white-robed woman.

The young woman already had her back to the river, leaving her no route of escape. But then… A huge pair of true energy wings suddenly sprouted out of her back, each of them fully nine meters long. With a single beat of those wings, she launched high into the sky, looking almost like an immortal crane as she completely avoided the crossbow bolts.

'Is that what I think it is? Wings of the White Crane? That's a first-class energy art used by people from the city magistrate's mansion, isn't it? She's from the city magistrate's mansion!' Shocked, Yang Qi began to run forward.

Sage Monarch

Wings of the White Crane was a first-class energy art. It wasn't brutally violent like the Invincible King's Fist, but it did provide marvelous abilities of flight. Although it couldn't enable the practitioner to fly to the highest heavens like an actual white crane, it did make heights of a hundred meters attainable, and could be used to glide for a dozen or so kilometers.

Thus, it was an energy art that was no more or less incredible than the Invincible King's Fist. Because of how it could be used to escape from enemies or travel long distances, it was incredibly useful.

And in Yanhaven, the only people who could use this type of energy art were those from the city magistrate's mansion.

The rich and powerful clans in Yanhaven had techniques that imparted vicious battle prowess, but none could fly like the people from the city magistrate's mansion.

Even more specific than that, Wings of the White Crane was a secret technique that was only passed down through the bloodline of the city magistrate. As such, it was obvious who this white-robed woman was.

After evading the crossbow bolts, she looked back down, then pointed her sword at the ground. As she poured true energy into the sword, it began to tremble as destructive power built up in it.

Then, she shouted, "One Sword to Freeze Nineteen Prefectures!"

Instantly, blinding sword light began to fall downward, covering the entire beach with sword projections.

"Mesh of Heaven, Net of Earth. Destroy!"

Because of the immense power of the sword light, the granular sand on the beach was instantly transformed into powder.

Advertisements

It only took a single glance for Yang Qi to realize that this sword was an outstanding divine weapon. Anything that could amplify one's energy arts in this way was definitely something very precious.

After all, divine weapons like this could easily be used to gain the upper hand on an enemy.

The leader of the black-garbed men obviously reached the same conclusion as Yang Qi. Throwing his arms out, he summoned what first appeared to be an elliptical canopy above them. As it took shape, it became clear that it was a huge bell, which took only a moment to cover him and his men.

"Golden Bell Rampart!"

The sword light slammed into the golden bell, causing flames to spark, and giving birth to numerous sharp clanging sounds that rolled out across the waters of the river.

Over a hundred sword projections slammed into the bell, and yet, were unable to break through it. Soon, the white-robed woman was clearly running low on true energy, causing her wings to begin to fade. Clearly, they would vanish within moments!

After all, not everybody could draw on their energy arts for such a long period of time as Yang Qi.

"This is our chance!" the leader of the black-garbed men said. Reversing the flow of his energy, he sent the bell flying upward, simultaneously transforming it into an enormous hammer.

BOOM!

The hammer struck the white-robed woman, knocking her out of the air. As she slammed into the sand, blood sprayed out of her mouth, and her true energy shivered in instability. By this point, Yang Qi could see her face, and was struck by her beauty.

Slowly walking toward the fallen young woman, the leader of the black-garbed men said, "How'd you like that? Hurt? You just reached the seventh phase, the Energy Manifestation level. But you haven't stabilized your place there. I've been in the Energy Manifestation level for more than a decade. Do you really think that sword of yours could overcome me?"

The young woman looked up at him. "I can't believe that the House of Shadowblight is here plotting against Yanhaven! Are you people tired of living or something?"

The leader smiled viciously. "Hmph. To the House of Shadowblight, Yanhaven is nothing. We're going to annex one city after another, and eventually, overthrow the entire Sage Ancestor Dynasty! Thenwewill be the imperial force that rules the Rich-Lush Continent!

"Considering that you have those Wings of the White Crane, I guess it's safe to assume you're the daughter of City Magistrate Yan Gufeng. If I kidnap you, he'll definitely pay a handsome sum of energy convergence pills to get you back!"

Laughter erupted among the other black-garbed men.

"Boss," one of them said, "why not let us have a bit of fun with her first? We could use some of our House of Shadowblight's Lovemaking Powder. Give her some of that, and instead of fighting to get away from us, she'll be fighting to get under us!" More raucous laughter filled the air, crushing any and all hope the young woman had held of getting out of the situation.

"Die!" she suddenly shouted, running her finger along the edge of her blade to send out a mass of sword light. As fast as lightning, it split into hundreds of separate streams that stabbed into the black-garbed man who had just spoken.

As he screamed and flopped backward onto the ground, the other black-garbed men scattered, shocked that the young woman could unleash such a devastating attack.

"Dammit," the leader growled, looking around at his men. Then, he smiled and looked back at the young woman. "A very nasty little sword trick you have there. But now that you've used it, your true energy is in even worse of a state than before, so I don't have to worry about you fighting like a cornered beast. Think you can kill anyone else? Go ahead and try!"

In response to his challenge, a host of whooshing sounds filled the air, and then another of his subordinates was transformed into a bloody pincushion. Unable to even cry out in shock, he toppled down onto the sand.

However, this time it wasn't just the black-garbed men who were shocked, it was also the young woman in white, as she had not unleashed the attack!

Moments later, several blazing rocks shot through the air toward the leader. Rocks like this could easily pierce an iron shield, as they were propelled by Yang Qi's hell vortexes.

"Spiraling energy pellets!?" the leader growled. Eyes flashing, he drew upon his energy arts, sending a host of his own rocks flying out to intercept Yang Qi's. As they did, a string of booms filled the air.

Utterly discomfited, the leader said, "Who's out there? Whoever dares to ambush me? You'd better step out into the open right now!"

"It's me," Yang Qi said, strolling out of the reeds, his powerful aura surging with such terrifying strength that the leader of the black-garbed men immediately backed up a few paces. "I can't believe you're actually trying to kill the daughter of the city magistrate right out in the open. You people really have some gall."

"Who are you, you little punk?" the leader asked with a snarl. "Do you really think you can kill my men without the House of Shadowblight coming for revenge?"

Yang Qi laughed loudly. "Revenge? If I killyou, how will they ever know? You've roamed thejianghufor years now. Haven't you heard of killing witnesses to prevent secrets from getting out?" [1]

His words caused the young woman's anxiety to suddenly be replaced by inner laughter.

'I like this guy,' she thought. At the same time, she pulled a pill box out of her garment, broke it open, and consumed the pill inside, hoping to restore some of her true energy.

"Kill me?" the leader said. "Apparently you don't know the meaning of the word death." He blurred into motion, like a serpent striking at its prey, and within a moment had already closed the several-hundred-meter distance between himself and Yang Qi.

"Watch out!" the young woman called. "They have powerful poison arts that—"

Before she could even finish her words, Yang Qi saw an enormous ghost face formed of true energy lunging toward him.

It was a fearsome sight, and something that couldn't be taken lightly.

"Invincible King's Fist!" he shouted, drawing upon all of the true energy he could muster as he slipped into the six forms of the technique.Triumph in Every Battle. Victory in Every Fight….It took only a brief moment for him to complete the forms, whereupon his true energy exploded out in a massive blast onto the ghost face.

Instantly, the ghost face shattered into bits.

Yang Qi could sense his true energy diminishing rapidly, but in the end, his energy arts were just too vigorous. The power of two ancient megamammoths was enough to crush mountains, and therefore, after taking only one additional step forward, his true energy was back to full strength. Without hesitation, he launched another Invincible King's Fist at the black-garbed leader.

"What energy arts do you cultivate, brat?" the leader spat. He had just wasted a significant amount of true energy when fighting the white-robed woman, only to once again have it drained in an interchange. 'He's only in the sixth phase,' he thought. 'How come it feels like he's drawing on the power of some primeval beast? Each of his moves is like some enormous animal trampling across the battlefield.'

Stabilizing his true energy, he prepared to unleash another killing move. However, before he could, Yang Qi's Invincible King's Fist rocketed toward him again with devastating momentum.

"Golden Bell Rampart!"

The leader of the black-garbed men once again called on the same defensive energy art from before, summoning a huge golden bell. When Yang Qi's fist strike hit it, the Invincible King's Fist collapsed.

"Let's see how many fists you can block!" Yang Qi said, obviously not willing to give the man any breathing room. Using the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth to back his Invincible King's Fist, his hand was like a hammer smashing over and over again into the bell. In only a short breath of time, he drew upon his true energy to unleash over a hundred fist strikes.

Boom. BOOM. BOOM!

Gonging sounds could be heard as the bell was struck, causing visible sound waves to roll out in all directions. As for the leader of the black-garbed men, he staggered backward over and over, blood beginning to ooze out of his mouth thanks to the damage to his internal organs.

Pouring more energy into the golden bell, the leader said, "Listen, punk, you—"

"Die!" Yang Qi interrupted with a shout, unleashing a torrent of fist strikes that were like enormous axes that could cleave mountains. It was an impressive sight as he drew fully on his energy arts, his steel-like muscles bulging as he attacked with frightening tenacity.

He went through the six forms of the Invincible King's Fist in an endless cycle, pushing his momentum to the absolute peak, to the point where no one could see him; they could only see the massive waves of energy battering at the bell.

He was like some sort of primeval, divine titan, smashing at mountains with an enormous sledgehammer.

'Is he… even human?' the white-robed woman thought, looking on with wide eyes. 'How could his energy arts have reached such an explosive level?'

At this point in the fight, the leader of the black-garbed men was in a very, very bad situation. He couldn't even fight back. All he could do was go all out to fuel his golden bell, aware that if it were to break, he would be reduced to a pile of blood and gore.

It seemed to him that he wouldn't be safe from this kid even if he were locked up inside of an iron chamber. The brat was only in the sixth phase, and yet, seemed mightier than ten sixth phase experts all working together.

"Listen punk!" he said angrily, "do you really think that—"

"Shut the hell up!" Yang Qi shouted, yet again interrupting. Meanwhile, he could now sense that the third particle within him was beginning to awake. A cracking sound could be heard within him, and suddenly, the lightning mammoth stirred with excitement. Moments later, he had the power of three ancient megamammoths at his disposal.

Advertisements

Yet again, his strength soared to epic heights.

BOOM!

The golden bell shattered, and Yang Qi rushed forward with vicious abandon, charging across the battlefield like a megamammoth. As he did, one fist after another slammed into the leader of the black-garbed men.

The young woman looked on in shock as the man was thrown into the air, blood spraying out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and his chest caved in. Then, he flopped onto the ground like a burlap sack.

1. Jianghu essentially refers to the martial arts underworld of society

Sage Monarch

The leader of the black-garbed men had been virtually beaten into a pulp. After laying on the sand for a moment, he struggled to look up at Yang Qi and said, "Y-you're… quite the exp… expert, ya punk…. Who are you?"

BAM!

Yang Qi's only response was to end his life with a final fist strike.

"Excellent striking technique, Young Lord," the young woman in white said. "And excellent energy arts. Your cultivation base is in the sixth phase, and yet, you easily dispatched an expert in the seventh phase. Geniuses like you are rare to say the least. Many thanks for saving me. Young Lord, may I ask to know your honored surname and distinguished given name? As for me, I am the daughter of Yanhaven's city magistrate, Yan Feixia." [1]

"I'm Yang Qi."

His first expectation was to see her face light up with shock upon hearing his name. After all, he was fairly famous in Yanhaven right now, and was said to be a useless, hedonistic silkpants who had brought ruin to his clan. However, it was to his surprise that Yan Feixia didn't react at all.

"Ah, a young master of the Yang Clan," she said coolly. "Well, I must truly offer my thanks for your assistance tonight."

Surprised by the reaction, Yang Qi said, "Young Lady Yan, have you only just returned to Yanhaven?"

"Indeed. I've been away working on my cultivation for about ten years. This is my first time returning, and I couldn't have been more surprised to be ambushed by experts from the House of Shadowblight. In fact, I need to get back to the city right away to report the matter and try to get an explanation." Stepping forward, she began to examine the bodies of the black-garbed men. When she got to the mangled corpse of the leader, it was to Yang Qi's surprise that she reached into his garments and pulled out what appeared to be a tiny copper bell.

It was covered with complex designs, and if one looked closely, it would be obvious that although it looked like copper, it was actually made of some other type of metal.

Advertisements

"I was wondering why his Golden Bell Rampart was so strong. As it turns out, he had this little treasure, a bell made of refined gold from beyond the heavens, forged by a Master of Energy. This would serve to provide a significant boost to his energy arts, and obviously increased the strength of his Golden Bell Rampart by several times."

She examined the bell closely for a moment, as though to commit every aspect of it to memory, and then tossed it over to Yang Qi.

"You're giving it to me?" Yang Qi asked, surprised. Looking down at the complex designs that covered its surface, he noticed that there were also lines of extremely tiny text, which revealed the cultivation technique of the Golden Bell Rampart itself.

Surprisingly, it was a first-class energy art. It could be used to form a bell-shaped defense canopy made of true energy that would deflect all sorts of attacks. Even toxic energy would be useless against it.

"Well, it'syourbattle trophy, after all," Yan Feixia said with a soft laugh. "You did the hard work, so it's not my place to take all the spoils. That's a first-class cultivation technique, you know, so if you master it, it will advance your energy arts by a step or two. First-class energy arts are not easy to come by; if you sold that at auction, you would probably make a few hundred thousand energy convergence pills."

"A few hundred thousand…?" Yang Qi replied. He licked his lips. "That's a fortune!"

"It is. Things like that are worth a lot." At that point, Yan Feixia looked down at the leader and prodded him with her sword. "He has some other treasures on him as well. It would be a big waste not to take them."

"Well, he's covered with poisons," Yang Qi said, "and I don't have the ability to use telekinesis yet. Miss Yan, why don't you search him for treasure, then we can split what we find?"

"That works," she replied straightforwardly. Waving her hand, she sent a stream of true energy out, which transformed into a life-like hand that quickly descended to search the corpse. The process only took a moment, and produced a snuff bottle, a few pieces of paper, and what appeared to be a leather bound book.

"This snuff bottle contains an antidote that nullifies most poisons used by the House of Shadowblight. These papers are bank notes from the Sage Ancestor Dynasty, which can be exchanged for energy convergence pills. And this book… well, well. It's made from human flesh. And it contains the poison arts cultivated by the House of Shadowblight."

Yan Feixia had clearly seen many things in her life, and was privy to many secrets that ordinary people would be unaware of. Yang Qi couldn't help but marvel at what people from important clans and sects were capable of.

Although Yang Qi himself was considered one of the young elites in Yanhaven, he was still like a frog in a well when compared to someone like this.

"Antidote…." he murmured, eyes glittering. "My eldest brother and second brother were both poisoned by shadowblight, so that antidote would be very helpful. As for the banknotes, why don't we split them evenly? And then you keep the poison art manual? What do you say, Miss Yan?"

"Alright," she replied with no ceremony. Handing him half of the bank notes, she said, "I don't really need the poison manual to be honest, but I can probably hand it in to my sect in exchange for some rewards. Well, it's getting late, and I need to get back home. Instead of inviting you over for a visit, I'll head over to the Yang Clan in a few days to thank you properly."

"You're too kind," Yang Qi said. "That having been said, Miss Yan, I'd prefer for you to not mention this incident to anyone. Just tell people that you handled the men from the House of Shadowblight."

"Oh, I understand," she replied. "If word got out about this it could be bad for the Yang Clan." Waving her hand, she sent a stream of energy out that ignited the corpses of the ambushers. Within moments, they had all burned away into nothing but ash.

"An inferno energy art!?" Yang Qi's eyes widened. "Miss Yan, I would never have been able to guess that, considering you used metal-type sword techniques before, you would also be a master of fire-type techniques. Can those two different types of energy arts really work well together?"

Normally speaking, people would cultivate a technique related to only one specific element. Mixing elements in cultivation could be very dangerous.

Yan Feixia smiled coolly. "It's a secret legacy technique from my sect that allows people to simultaneously cultivate two types of energy arts." She didn't seem inclined to offer any further explanation, which was entirely reasonable. Sects and organizations often had secrets that weren't intended to be spread.

Although Yang Qi cultivated the energy arts of the Yang Clan, after being crippled, he had begun to power them with the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth.

That new technique was as profound as the depths of hell, and had the ability to remain completely concealed.

In any case, Yang Qi wasn't particularly interested in the Golden Bell Rampart. After all, if he could reach the seventh phase, the Energy Manifestation level, then the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth would provide its own special defensive technique, the Infernal Deity Aegis. In combination with the Fiend-Devil Wings, that would give him defensive capabilities that far surpassed the Golden Bell Rampart.

From that it could be seen that the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth was one of those legendary techniques that was unrivaled in the world.

In terms of the full manifestation of the Infernal Deity Aegis, it was a black spheroid of true energy. Eventually, in the Master of Energy level, it would become so strong that it would provide protection even in the depths of a volcano.

That was a level of defense that almost surpassed that which was human.

In fact, even the city magistrate of Yanhaven, who did have a Master of Energy cultivation base, as well as remarkable defensive techniques, would be transformed into ash if he jumped into a volcano.

'It seems that every advancement of my cultivation base and energy arts will lead to hundredfold improvements in strength,' Yang Qi thought, his heart pulsing with anticipation. 'Can I really take them all the way to the seventh phase?'

Even having just stepped into the sixth phase, his fight with the black-garbed leader had caused a third particle to awaken within him, giving him the power of three ancient megamammoths.

"I'll take my leave now, Young Master Yang. In a few days, I'll come again to express my thanks." With that, Yan Feixia called upon her energy arts to once again summon a pair of white wings. Leaping up a few meters into the air, she flapped her wings and flew off into the starlight, looking very much like a spectacular white crane.

Yang Qi looked down at his spoils. After looking over the bank notes, he realized that they were worth well over a hundred thousand energy convergence pills. That much wealth was equivalent to roughly three months of revenue for the Yang Clan.

Considering that his direct bloodline was now completely bankrupt, that many energy convergence pills would definitely be extremely helpful.

And then there was the golden bell, and the technique that was written on it, which was also an extremely valuable treasure. That was also worth hundreds of thousands of energy convergence pills, and although it wouldn't alleviate the crisis, it would at least replenish the bloodline's losses to some degree.

With that, Yang Qi sped off. When he reached the city walls, he scaled them as lithely as a leopard. The only thing the city guards detected was a slight breeze caused by his passing.

Back at the Yang Clan mansion, he found his way to a certain private chamber, then knocked on the door.

A moment later, Yang Zhan's resounding voice could be heard from inside. "Qi'er, are you back from your training? Come in."

Then, the door to the chamber, which was roughly a third of a meter thick, slowly opened. Yang Qi hurried inside to find his father and two brothers all sitting there cross-legged. His father had two hands outstretched, with a palm placed on each of his brothers' backs as he worked to drive the poison out of them.

Unfortunately, from the complexion of his brothers' faces, it was obvious that the toxic energy was not easy to dispel.

As soon as Yang Zhan saw Yang Qi, his gaze entered him like a burning fire. "Qi'er, your cultivation base has advanced again, hasn't it?"

"Yes, Father. I finally broke through into the Energy Weapon level! At this point, I should be able to defeat Yang Honglie without any problem."

"Don't get cocky," his father replied seriously. "Yang Honglie is in the seventh phase, and you can't underestimate him. Generally speaking, sixth phase energy arts practitioners aren't capable of defeating the seventh phase ones."

"I know, Father," Yang Qi said, nodding.

"Third Brother," his eldest brother said, forcing a smile onto his face, "you really came out on top of your catastrophe! It's too bad I've been crippled. Father just can't get this damned toxic energy out of me."

Advertisements

"Don't worry," Yang Zhan said. "Worst case scenario, I'll beg one of the ninth phase chief elders to help."

Yang Qi's eldest brother shook his head. "Father, the chief elders are all running out of longevity, and have to focus all of their efforts on trying to seize life from the heavens. How could they possibly spare effort to focus on us when they're so worried about trying to extend their own lifespans?"

The chief elders had already reached the point of avoiding all fighting for the purpose of conserving true energy, so obviously, they wouldn't waste it unless absolutely necessary.

"There's no need to worry, Eldest Brother," Yang Qi said. Without further ado, he pulled the antidote out of his garment.

1. Yan Feixia: Yan is a common surname that also means "swallow" (the bird). This is the same Yan from Yanhaven. Fei means "to fly". Xia means "the colorful red glow of the morning or evening sky"

"What's that?" Yang Zhan said, heart beginning to pound as he looked at the antidote. "Don't tell me it's really…?" Because of his advanced energy arts, his senses were particularly acute, and a single whiff of the aroma of the antidote was enough for him to confirm that it could treat his sons. "Where did you get that?"

"It's definitely an antidote of some sort," Yang Qi said. "Whether it can cure eldest brother and second brother, I'm not sure. We'll just have to try it out. As for how I got it, it was from a seventh phase expert from the House of Shadowblight that I killed…." He tossed the antidote to his father. "I also got some bank notes that should help the clan's financial situation."

With that, he went on to offer a description of the fight with the men of the House of Shadowblight, and how he'd saved Yan Feixia.

"Great! Excellent! You've done a lot to alleviate the grudge between our bloodline and the city magistrate's mansion! I've heard of this Yan Feixia. She's Yan Gufeng's favorite daughter, and from the time she was young has trained at the True Dragon Institute. Now that she's back, she'll definitely have a very high standing in the Yan Clan."

As Yang Zhan spoke, he took the bank notes and copper bell that Yang Qi offered him, and continued to speak. "Golden Bell Rampart is a first-class energy art. If an ordinary person got it and mastered it, he could found a new clan. Altogether, this is about six or seven hundred thousand energy convergence pills' worth of wealth. That's almost a year of profit for the Yang Clan! This will definitely alleviate some of the crisis."

"Father, what about the antidote?"

Of course, that was what Yang Qi was most concerned about.

Yang Zhan sent some energy into the snuff bottle, as well as some of the toxic energy he had extracted earlier. When he saw that the antidote completely dispelled the toxic energy, he said, "It can definitely help your brothers drive the toxic energy out…."

Whoosh!

Not hesitating any further, he drew upon his energy arts to transform the antidote into two streams of smoke that pierced into his sons' bodies, causing them to tremble visibly.

Advertisements

Upon seeing that, Yang Qi sent some of his true energy into his brothers, hoping to assist them in building back up their vital energy. After all, the serious nature of their poisoning meant that their vital energy had been severely damaged and reduced.

Face covered with a look of shock, his eldest brother said, "Third Brother, your energy arts are so powerful!"

Based on the level of his own energy arts, he could tell that his third brother's energy flowed through his meridians like a massive river. Although the energy it contained was not as pure and refined as their father's, it was the type that could cause virtually all living beings to bow in submission.

A short time later, the toxic energy was completely removed, and his true energy was thrumming with vitality. Rising to his feet, he said, "Recovered at last!"

"Same here," the second brother said, similarly leaping up, his true energy surging. In fact, there was also a popping sound as his energy arts unexpectedly broke through into the fifth phase, the Energy Eruption level. "Third Brother, thanks to you, I just broke through! Getting struck by lightning was really a blessing in disguise for you. With energy arts like yours, you're a true blessing to our Yang Clan!"

"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, not only have you recovered, you've also made progress! In the future, no one will dare to underestimate the direct bloodline of the Yang Clan! We might still be facing a financial crisis, but as long as we're alive, we can make a comeback."

"That's right, Third Brother. From here on out, let's all work as hard as we can to help father get us back on track financially…." The three brothers reached out with their right hands and clasped each other by the wrists, formalizing their resolve.

Yang Zhan gazed at his sons with a broad, pleased smile. Regardless, after a moment, a serious expression once again took over his face. "Boys, I've uncovered the truth of who has been opposing us. The House of Shadowblight has formed an alliance with another of the aristocratic clans of Yanhaven, the Chen Clan. In the past, they never had what it took to make a move against us. But they saw the incident with Qi'er as an opportunity to hatch a plot."

Yang Qi's eldest brother, Yang Yunchong, said, "Father, there's something I've been wondering about. Our Yang Clan is clearly the strongest clan in Yanhaven, and although it's common for there to be friction between the big clans, it doesn't seem to me that we've reached the point where open conflict is appropriate. Are they really not worried about us fighting back?" [1]

Yang Qi had also considered this issue.

After a moment of thought, Yang Zhan said, "It's because of your aunt. It's been years since she joined the top organization in the Rich-Lush Continent, the Demi-Immortal Institute. She has a good reputation there, and is considered to be a genius when it comes to energy arts. Because of how important the institute views her, she's become a valuable target for certain parties. Of course, they can't make a move on her in the Demi-Immortal Institute itself, and therefore, they're targeting the clan. Obviously, they hoped that she would be informed, and then rush back here to help, only to fall into their trap."

'So that's what's going on….' the three brothers all thought, their eyes flickering with understanding.

Yang Qi suddenly thought back to the young girl he remembered, and how she would often feed him when he was a child.

'If you don't eat your dinner, Yang Qi, I'm going to spank you!'He could see her pigtails swaying back and forth as she blew on his soup spoon, worried that the hot liquid might burn him.

'No! I don't want to eat dinner!'he would pout, stomping his feet. 'I want to play!'

Those were the type of memories he had of his aunt.

Now, ten years had passed, and he didn't even know what she looked like, or how advanced her cultivation base was.

"So what do we do now, father?" asked the second brother, whose name was Yang Hualong. [2]

"We wait patiently and watch how the situation develops. In the meantime, we do our best to get the clan businesses back in operation. I'll leave that to the two of you. As for me, I'll focus fully on cultivation, and trying to break through to the ninth phase. Qi'er, you also focus on your cultivation, but take some time to go for a visit to the city magistrate's mansion. The fact that you saved Yan Feixia means that our relationship with them has changed."

"Yes, sir!" the three brothers shouted, their hearts brimming with excitement regarding the future of the clan.

After a moment of silence, Yang Zhan could see Yang Qi's guilt written on his face, and said, "Don't blame yourself for what's happened, Qi'er. Although your reckless action of stealing that Latent Dragon Pill led to a whole series of unfortunate events, some good also came of it. For one thing, we lured our enemies out of the shadows. Without that development, our clan, and your aunt as well, would have been in great danger, and yet completely unaware of it."

"Alright…." Yang Qi said, his negative feelings fading a bit. "However, I'll never forget the fact that Princess Yun Hailan of Yundale-by-the-Sea tricked me into stealing that pill, thus leading our clan into great harm. One day I will definitely get revenge for that. In fact, I also suspect that Yun Hailan has it out for my aunt. That's probably why she targeted me to begin with, which would indicate that she's in league with the House of Shadowblight….. Oh, right. I forgot to mention that when I was beaten by Song Haishan, he said that Yun Hailan was going to join the Demi-Immortal Institute."

Yang Zhan was an experienced and insightful man, so after hearing this new information from Yang Qi, said, "That's a distinct possibility. If that's the case, then I'd say it's highly likely your aunt has an enemy within the Demi-Immortal Institute itself, plotting against her."

"Father," Yang Qi said, "if you can advance your cultivation to the Master of Energy level, then couldn't you join the Demi-Immortal Institute as well, and offer some support to aunt?"

Yang Zhan shook his head. Waving his hand dismissively, he said, "In the Rich-Lush Continent, the Master of Energy level is so high that such individuals can command entire cities. Armies even. They are subjects of universal esteem, and some are even appointed as nobility by the Sage Ancestor Dynasty. However, in the Demi-Immortal Institute, they aren't as special. The only way to be looked up to there is to break out of the Energy Arts level, and seize life from the heavens. Boys, you three catch up with each other. I'm going into seclusion to try to achieve my breakthrough."

"Farewell, father!"

Yang Zhan gave the bank notes and the copper bell to Yang Yunchong, and then the three brothers left.

Yang Yunchong and Yang Hualong would be responsible for getting clan affairs back in order, leaving Yang Qi free to focus on cultivation. After all, he had only three months until the autumn hunt, which was his deadline to surpass Yang Honglie.

Although the direct bloodline had experienced a financial catastrophe, with the wealth Yang Qi had acquired, they were now at least capable of making a comeback.

Late that night, in the city magistrate's mansion, a middle-aged man sat in a certain room, a look of delight on his face. This man's energy surged even stronger than Yang Zhan's, and behind him was a burning sphere of energy from within which stepped numerous humanoid figures that almost looked like gods or spirits.

This man was in the Master of Energy level, making him a grandmaster of energy arts.

He could use Humanoid True Energy at will to create incarnations and clones, could attack with lightning-like speed, could track enemies by following their souls, and could fuse with heaven and earth.

This man ruled all of the countless smaller cities and towns in the Yanhaven region, making him a leader to millions and millions of individuals. His name: Yan Gufeng. [3]

Just like the characters in his name, he really did look like a lonely mountain peak, rising high into the azure sky, extraordinary in all aspects.

When a voice echoed into his ears, an excited, fatherly smile broke out on his face.

"Daddy, I'm back."

"Is that you, Xia'er?" Drawing on his energy arts, he waved his hand, and the door to the chamber opened. "Hurry inside and let me have a look at you. You've been gone for ten years! How has your cultivation progressed at the True Dragon Institute?"

Yan Feixia hurried in, dropped to her knees before her father, and kowtowed respectfully. "Father, it's so good to see that you're in good health."

"There's no need for all that bowing…." All of a sudden, a flash of anger appeared on Yan Gufeng's face. "What's wrong? Have you been in a fight recently? Were you accosted on the way here?"

Rising to her feet, Yan Feixia said, "Yes, Father. I was ambushed by people from the House of Shadowblight. They set up a trap by the Yan River."

With that, she offered a few more details.

A cracking sound could be heard as the crystal goblet Yan Gufeng had been holding shattered into dust. "How dare the House of Shadowblight attempt to harm my daughter! And what gall they have to operate within the vicinity of Yanhaven. Do they really think the Yan Clan is powerless to retaliate?"

Advertisements

"Father, the House of Shadowblight is a huge organization, and they operate in the shadows. They're one of the most powerful poison sects in the west. You can't underestimate them, Father, nor do anything rash. I'll report this matter to the True Dragon Institute after I return. By the way, Father, I had help dealing with the men of the House of Shadowblight. A friend who casually slaughtered all of their experts."

Looking surprised, Yan Gufeng said, "You had help? Who was it?"

1. Yang Yunchong: Yun means "cloud" and Chong means "charge, rush, dash, clash".

2. Yang Hualong: Hua means "change, transform, melt, dissolve, burn up" and Long means "dragon"

3. Yan Gufeng: Yan means "swallow" and is also a common surname. Gu means "lonely". Feng means "mountain peak"

Sage Monarch

"Thankfully some noble and qualified young hero was around to kill the villains from the House of Shadowblight!" Yan Gufeng said. "Who was he? Do I know him? I definitely need to offer my profound thanks to whoever he is. Which clan did he come from? Or was he someone from the senior generation?"

"I believe you do know him, Father. He's a prodigy from the Yang Clan. Despite being only in the sixth phase of energy arts, he's by no means inferior to experts in the seventh phase. If he were a member of the True Dragon Institute, he would be considered a top-rate genius." Yan Feixia had nothing but praise for Yang Qi. After all, she had personally witnessed his grand performance; not only had he vanquished the Golden Bell Rampart, he had easily dispatched the leader of the black-garbed men. As such, she had a glowing impression of him.

In fact, never before had she encountered someone like him among her peers.

Yang Qi hadn't even practiced cultivation to the peak of his current level, and yet possessed the power to cow countless devils and gods.

In response to his daughter's words, Yan Gufeng's expression flickered. "A prodigy from the Yang Clan? Who, exactly?"

"Yang Qi," she replied.

His face fell, and he nearly lost control over his energy arts. "What? Yang Qi? Are you sure it was him? Impossible! His energy arts were crippled by Luo Hun! And then he was struck by lightning! How could he possibly have been the one to help you?"

"I hadn't heard about that," said Yan Feixia, clearly surprised. "Father, why did Luo Hun cripple his energy arts?"

Yan Gufeng let out a cold snort, and his eyes flashed with killing intent. "That little punk stole my Latent Dragon Pill. As you know, it was years ago that I traveled far and wide in my quest to acquire the two Latent Dragon Pills that were all that remained of the legacy of Daoist Master Latent Dragon. By consuming one of the pills, I was able to reach the Master of Energy level. I'd planned to give the other one to you, and was merely waiting for you to return to visit. It would definitely have boosted both your energy arts and your place in the True Dragon Institute. But then that brat came along and stole it! I was so angry I wanted to just kill him. The only reason I didn't was because of Yang Susu and her place at the Demi-Immortal Institute."

"Father, I only just met Yang Qi, but he seemed like quite the heroic individual. Why would he steal your Latent Dragon Pill? Could it all have been some misunderstanding? Besides, didn't you keep the Latent Dragon Pill guarded in a secret chamber? How could he even have stolen it to begin with?"

Advertisements

"Someone in the know gave him information about the chamber itself!" Yan Gufeng said angrily. "And he used a host of other methods to get inside. I investigated things later on, and as it turns out, that siren Yun Hailan from Yundale-by-the-Sea seduced him. When she realized that the city magistrate's mansion had a lot of dealings with the Yang Clan, she pulled him into her scheme. In the end, the little punk just turned out to be a complete and utter fool."

Yan Feixia frowned. "But how could his energy arts have recovered? And how did he end up being so powerful?"

After a moment of silence, Yan Gufeng waved his arm to send a blast of energy out of his chamber, which caused quite the stir within the mansion, and said, "Men, enter!"

Moments later, numerous figures came hurrying in, all of them wearing fancy, embroidered garments. Dropping to their knees, they joined their voices together to offer greetings.

"Our respects, Lord, Miss!"

Considering that Yan Gufeng presided over armies of followers, it was easy for him to summon top masters to do work like this. "Supposedly that brat from the Yang Clan got his energy arts back. Go investigate the matter immediately!"

The masters all kowtowed and then vanished. About an hour later, they returned and assembled outside of his chamber. However, the one to actually enter and report was the hulking brute of a man, Luo Hun. Dropping to his knees, he said, "City Magistrate, it seems that the young miss heard correctly. That punk Yang Qi actually benefited from being struck by lightning. I'm not sure what exactly changed or transformed about him, but I confirmed that his true energy is stronger than ever. Despite only being in the fifth phase, he made a big splash at the Yang Clan forum, and actually defeated Yang Kui of the senior generation, who's in the sixth phase. He performed so outstandingly that even one of their chief elders praised him."

Yan Gufeng was indeed a powerful person, with deep access to intelligence resources. Many of the rich and powerful clans in the city had no idea what had occurred in the Yang Clan forum, and yet, in one short hour, his men uncovered all of the details.

"Struck by lightning? Experienced some transformation? How did that kid get so lucky?" A thoughtful expression could be seen on Yan Gufeng's face as he pondered the situation. "He broke through from the fourth phase into the fifth, and is now all the way into the sixth. Daughter, are you sure his energy arts are in the sixth phase?"

"Absolutely. Otherwise, how could he have defeated an expert from the House of Shadowblight who is in the seventh?" With that, Yan Feixia went on to provide a detailed recounting of the fight.

Yan Gufeng listened with increasing shock. "You're telling me that Yang Qi, who is only in the sixth phase, actually defeated an expert in the seventh phase, who was using the Golden Bell Rampart? And his opponent was boosting his own energy arts with a magical item? This is extraordinary!"

Considering how advanced his cultivation base was, he was very familiar with the differences between various cultivation levels. Fundamentally speaking, it was almost impossible for someone in the sixth phase to fight someone in the seventh. Only the most spectacular of geniuses could do something like that. And that was without even taking into consideration that the enemy had been using the Golden Bell Rampart.

That made things even more astounding.

'What secrets does this kid have?' Yan Gufeng thought. 'It can't be as simple as having been struck by lightning….'

When Yan Feixia saw how angry her father looked, she couldn't help but say, "Father, it doesn't really matter. He saved my life, and I'll never be able to forget that. He was tricked into stealing the Latent Dragon Pill, wasn't he? And didn't the Yang Clan provide compensation already?"

"Fine," Yan Gufeng said, his tone softer than before. "I won't look into the matter any further. Originally I was going to make sure the Yang Clan was wiped out from Yanhaven, but now…. Luo Hun."

"Sir?" Luo Hun said. "What orders do you have?"

"Carry out another investigation, this time, into the House of Shadowblight. Find out how strong they are, and what exactly they want in this area. What gave them the guts to come to Yanhaven and threaten my daughter?

"Daughter, spend the next few days in rest. Go see your brothers and sisters, and give them some tips regarding the energy arts of the True Dragon Institute. If any of them qualify, perhaps you could take them back with you to study."

The True Dragon Institute was one of the largest institutions in the Rich-Lush Continent. Although they hadn't been around as long as the Demi-Immortal Institute, they were at least comparable. Most people considered them to be in the top five, placing them far beyond the House of Shadowblight in terms of power.

"Very well, Father," Yan Feixia said. After all, she had wasted a lot of true energy in her fight with the black-garbed men, and was feeling particularly exhausted.

After his daughter left, Yan Gufeng sat back down in his throne and thought about the situation for a bit more. Eventually, a smile touched his lips. 'So, a new freak has appeared in the Yang Clan. That brat actually benefited from his catastrophe, and experienced a body tempering because of the lightning strike. I've heard of things like this happening before…. The Yang Clan has always been a big threat. If this kid continues to advance like this, then within ten years, we'll have another Master of Energy to worry about. And Yang Zhan is already on the verge of reaching it as well. Pretty soon, my position as city magistrate will be difficult to defend. It's not uncommon for the aristocratic clans to rise up in rebellion, kill the city magistrate, and take over the city.'

The cities in the Rich-Lush Continent were mostly self-governing, and were like city-states. Although they offered tribute to the Sage Ancestor Dynasty, that was where the relationship ended.

As for the aristocratic clans within the cities, they were like vassals underneath the city magistrate's mansion. And many of them were more than happy to revolt and kill the person they served.

In fact, such events were so common that virtually all city magistrates had to be on guard against the possibility. Most of the time, the Sage Ancestor Dynasty wouldn't pay any attention to such things, as long as their yearly tributes always came in.

Besides, the Sage Ancestor Dynasty was on the decline, ensuring that the hundreds upon hundreds of nations in the Rich-Lush Continent were always at odds. The number of groups who could be considered rebellious were too many to count.

Case in point: the numerous locations in the hundreds of kilometers surrounding Yanhaven that the Yan Clan controlled. Such places had a different name for the area they lived in. They called it the State of Yan. And in the grand scheme of things, Yanhaven was only a third-rate city, albeit within the top of that group. That having been said, considering the wealth they had access to, it was possible that they could gain even more honor and glory.

Slapping his hand on the table, Yan Gufeng said, "Luo Hun, spread word that in half a month, I want to invite all of the elite young ones from Yanhaven to a banquet. Make sure it's common knowledge that my daughter Yan Feixia has returned from the True Dragon Institute for a visit, and that this is a welcoming feast. And if my daughter takes a liking to any of those who attend, I could very well pick him as a son-in-law…."

Advertisements

Luo Hun understood immediately. "Excellent idea, City Magistrate. First of all, this will give us a good idea of what aristocratic clans have been up to lately, and what level their top disciples have reached. Second, if we can use the other clans to kill Yang Qi and sow discord among them, then it will serve to consolidate your power."

"That's right, Luo Hun," Yan Gufeng said coldly. "You're as clever as always. Also, keep your eyes on Yang Zhan. He's always been a talented individual, and I know he used an airmastery plant in the past. If he reaches the Master of Energy level, he'll be a major threat to the Yan Clan. Furthermore, we need to consolidate power over all the clans in Yanhaven. If we do that, and also get the support of the True Dragon Institute, then we really can proclaim ourselves the State of Yan."

Luo Hun shivered. "Proclaim ourselves the State of Yan? You mean declare independence from the Sage Ancestor Dynasty?"

"Exactly. If Yanhaven can become an independent nation, and then begins to absorb other cities, we will only continue to grow stronger and stronger. In the years to come, it would not be entirely impossible to unite the entire Rich-Lush Continent under our banner. I've already reached the peak of the Master of Energy level. If the right good fortune comes along, and I break into the Lifeseizing level, then I'll increase my longevity. I could theoretically rule for hundreds of years! Perhaps thousands! That has been the dream of all the leaders of the Yan Clan, going all the way back to our founding ancestor. Much of this will depend on your help, Luo Hun!"

"Yes sir," Luo Hun said, ducking his head in deference.

Sage Monarch

Never could Luo Hun have imagined that the city magistrate he served would have such high ambitions. His dream actually stretched a thousand years into the future, and involved unifying the Rich-Lush Continent under his own rulership.

It was especially surprising considering that Yanhaven only counted as a small city in the sprawling continent. Although it held sway over a population of millions, there were other cities whose citizens numbered in the tens of millions. And there were even some with populations over a hundred million. Therefore, Yanhaven was nothing special, and if it declared itself a nation, could easily be wiped out by other, more powerful forces. Considering that, it almost didn't seem worth mentioning the possibility of seizing rulership of the entire continent.

The thousands of cities in the Rich-Lush Continent were essentially independent vassals, and unifying them would be a very, very difficult task. Not even experts in the Lifeseizing level would think about trying to do so. After all, the Sage Ancestor Dynasty had as many powerful experts working for them as the sky had clouds, and not even they had ever tried to create a centralized state power. Although they did have an emperor who ruled at the highest tier of the feudal government, the truth was that he was really just another city magistrate. All that the imperial dynasty could do was preside over a loose collection of vassal states.

That having been said, if Yan Gufeng could actually reach the Lifeseizing level, gain the support of the True Dragon Institute, then slowly but surely conquer and absorb the other powers surrounding Yanhaven, such as Baishiville, Yundale-by-the-Sea, Zhaoluforth, and so on, then he could theoretically become a second-tier power. Although that wouldn't be the same as fulfilling his thousand-year dream, it would definitely be incredibly glorious.

Much of his plan had to do with the True Dragon Institute, which was an exceedingly powerful organization.

In the Rich-Lush Continent, the first-tier powers were referred to asinstitutes. Beneath them were various sects, factions, religions, and so forth, which were second-tier powers. Such second-tier organizations often had impressive names, but were far below the first-tier powers in terms of overall strength.

Without deep reserve powers, and a host of powerful experts to establish and propagate civilization and culture, an organization couldn't be referred to as an institute.

The word institute itself contained profound meaning, and was in fact holy in nature. All other organizations, whether they were called sects, parties, factions, religions, associations, or even dynasties, were often powerful, but in some ways could be considered unorthodox. None of them were holy and orthodox like the institutes were. [1]

The Demi-Immortal Institute, the True Dragon Institute, and a handful of other institutes were like shining beacons of light in the Rich-Lush Continent, organizations that everyone looked up to as being holy lands of sorts.

Compared to them, Yanhaven was like an ant.

Advertisements

Luo Hun's blood was surging at the thoughts which had just been awakened within him. "I definitely must live up to my own skill and abilities. If I do, perhaps I could be a part of a new royal dynasty, and establish a reputation that will be remembered for countless years to come. Are the kings and nobles really innately superior to people like me? I've heard rumors that there are already other cities that are calling themselves nations. If that's true, then why can't Yanhaven be called the State of Yan?"

At the Yang Clan mansion, Yang Qi was very pleased with how his cultivation had progressed over the past several days. During the day, he would spend his time in seclusion, and at night, he would head into the mountains outside the city, where he would practice his martial arts. His internal energy was growing more powerful every day, and he was gaining a deeper understanding of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. From what he could tell, he was getting closer and closer to waking up the fourth particle inside him.

When that happened, he would have the power of four megamammoths, and would definitely be superior to someone in the seventh phase.

In fact, his energy arts were already reaching the point of breaking into the seventh phase.

It only took about three days for news to spread through the Yang Clan mansion that Yang Yunchong and Yang Hualong had recovered. The two elder brothers had already begun to put the clan's business back in order, and even better, they managed to sell the copper bell on the gray market for five hundred thousand energy convergence pills. The Yang Clan's direct bloodline was beginning to make its comeback already.

The clan was no longer listless and weakening, instead it was thrumming with activity because of the endless possibilities for the future that had been opened up.

Yang Qi's second brother, Yang Hualong, had broken through to the fifth phase, the Energy Eruption level. All of the guards and servants were shocked, and were finally filled with a bit of hope for the future.

Exhale…. Inhale….

Yang Qi was sitting just outside the corridor of his private quarters, looking out at his pond as he performed breathing exercises. Every time he exhaled, the waters of the pond would part.

And when he inhaled, the surface of the pond would swirl up into the air like a tornado, and then splash down again like rain.

Clearly, Yang Qi's energy art cultivation had reached an incredibly high level. Because of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, they resembled the way a mammoth could suck water up into its trunk. According to the legends, when godmammoths raised their trunks up to the sky and inhaled, they could pull the stars down from the sky. After all, mammoths were the perfect representation of limitless power.

As he breathed, the power of the lightning mammoth in his dantian region continued to flow through his meridians before returning to his sea of energy. During the journey, bits of the lightning mammoth's quintessence would be absorbed into him, making him tougher and physically stronger.

With his eyes closed, he could sense that there was something like a membrane beneath his skin, transparent and crystalline, and ten times more powerful and durable than his actual skin. It was like the skin of a megamammoth, so tough that blades couldn't pierce it. Even energy art attacks that hit him would have difficulty piercing through that membrane.

Streaming across the surface of the membrane were magical symbols that were clearly not the product of human hands. They were like the writing of devils or gods, wriggling and squirming in a way that made it impossible to deduce their meaning.

With that membrane in place, Yang Qi's physical body was more flexible, agile, and tough than before, to a level that was hard to even calculate. Without even using energy arts, he could run as quickly as a leopard, strike with force that surpassed a bear, leap as nimbly as a monkey, and flit about as effortlessly as a bird. At this point, he was so terrifyingly powerful that not even his father or Yang Shi, experts in the eighth phase, would be able to contend with him in terms of physical strength.

"Third Brother! Third Brother…!"

When Yang Qi heard one of his brothers calling out to him, he slowly reined in all of his energy arts and rose to his feet. Even as the surface of the pond went calm, his second brother Yang Hualong hurried in. "Big news, Third Brother! In twelve days, the city magistrate's mansion is holding a banquet, and all of the unmarried young elites thirty years of age or under from the top clans are invited. That includes you, Third Brother. From what I heard, Yan Feixia is back from the True Dragon Institute to visit her parents, and the city magistrate is throwing this banquet to try to find a young genius to be her husband. Luckily for you, you saved Miss Yan Feixia back by the river, so she must have a good impression of you. Considering all the progress you've made, if you can butter her up a bit more before the banquet, maybe you'll end up as the future son-in-law of the city magistrate!"

"Really? A banquet?" Yang Qi took the invitation card from Yang Hualong and looked down at it with a bit of a frown. "I just stole a Latent Dragon Pill, and very nearly lost all of my energy arts, and now the city magistrate is inviting me to a banquet? Maybe I did save his daughter, but he's a wily old fox through and through. There must be more to the story. The safest thing would be to skip it, but of course, that would be pretty insulting to him."

"You're right, Third Brother. As you know, the Yang Clan used to be the richest and most powerful clan in all of Yanhaven. Eventually, we were surpassed by the Yan Clan, which has pushed Yanhaven to the point of being able to call it the State of Yan. The Yan Clan is the lord, and the rest of the clans are the government officials. However, if the officials all join forces, they can kill the lord. Once our Yang Clan gets strong enough again, the Yan Clan will definitely fear us."

Yang Hualong was no simpleton either; he had a lot of experience in life, and always analyzed matters in a thorough and logical way.

"That's true," Yang Qi said, putting the invitation card away. "I guess I'll just have to play things by ear."

Yang Qi's eldest brother, Yang Yunchong, was already married, and even had children. Therefore, he didn't get an invitation. And Yang Hualong was engaged, so he naturally wouldn't attend either. The only one to be going would be Yang Qi.

"There's another bit of news I need to tell you, Third Brother," Yang Hualong said. "Three days ago, word came in from Yundale-by-the-Sea. The city magistrate there made an official proclamation announcing the founding of the State of Yun. It won't be long before they start swallowing up the other powers around them…. Oh, I heard another rumor as well. Supposedly Yun Hailan and Song Haishan werebothaccepted into the Demi-Immortal Institute. That will also bolster the power of the State of Yun." Each piece of news that Yang Hualong revealed was like a bolt of lightning.

"What?" Yang Qi said, shocked. "They founded a new nation? They've definitely got some guts. Don't tell me they're going to renounce allegiance to the Sage Ancestor Dynasty?"

"You probably haven't heard about this, Third Brother, but the truth is that there are many powers throughout the Rich-Lush Continent who are declaring themselves to be sovereign nations. Although they still pay lip service to being vassals of the Sage Ancestor Dynasty, and continue to offer tribute, the dynasty is only growing weaker and weaker. And the Sage Ancestor Dynasty can't really do anything about it. Who knows? Maybe one day Yanhaven will become the State of Yan. The glimmer of sabers and swords can be seen everywhere, and the dragons and snakes are beginning to struggle with each other. Kings are rising up! Which of them wouldn't want to unite the continent and establish a thousand-year legacy? Among the emperors and his vassals, not a single benevolent individual can be found."

Yang Qi had grown up quite a bit, and to be discussing matters of politics and war with his brother made him feel like one of the heroes of old. "All the powers under heaven are experiencing drastic transformations. It's going to be difficult for the Yang Clan to pick the correct course. Considering the continent as a whole, we're like country bumpkins. Rich country bumpkins, but still country bumpkins. If any of the big powers really wanted to wipe us out, they could do so as easily as stomping on a chicken egg."

Yang Hualong sighed deeply. "Power is the foundation of everything. Speaking of which, I really need to improve my own cultivation."

"Twelve days…." Yang Qi said. "I have twelve days to get a lot stronger. I think I need to come out of seclusion and go do some real-world training. Take care, Second Brother. Make sure to keep the clan in order while I'm gone."

With that, Yang Qi blurred into motion.

"So fast!" Yang Hualong said, startled. "How did you get so strong so quickly? And where are you going?"

"To the Blackcorpse Mountains," Yang Qi said, "to hunt some demonlings and devillings." With that, he vanished without a trace. [2]

"What? The Blackcorpse Mountains? That place is very dangerous. We don't even venture very far into those mountains during our autumn hunt. And you're going in alone…?" Yang Hualong shook his head.

Advertisements

The Blackcorpse Mountains was where the Yan River started, and was a very inhospitable environment. They were filled with bizarre demonlings and devillings that had existed there since primeval times. Many such creatures had innate energy arts, and could do things like shoot fire, breathe smoke, or freeze things around them. And many of them operated in packs.

However, their pelts were extremely valuable, and thus, experts would often hunt them.

In fact, the Yang Clan's autumn hunt was a big way the clan made money. However, people usually entered the mountains in teams, not alone. The dangers simply outweighed the potential profits to a huge degree.

1. The word I'm translating as "institute" implies a place of learning such as a college or university

2. The demonlings and devillings are basically beasts of a demonic or devilish nature. Although there are two terms used for them, they are essentially the same thing. Sometimes the author will switch back and forth between the terms to describe one type of beast

Sage Monarch

The next day….

It was noon, and the sun blazed overhead. The buzz of cicadas and other animals somehow made the heat even more oppressive.

The mighty Yan River flowed out from these mountains, which were pitch black and profound to the extreme. All of the sinister-looking mountain peaks were covered with enormous, black trees, making it impossible to see the sun from down below. The roars of the beasts which occasionally echoed out were enough to strike terror into the hearts of any humans who heard them.

Despite the heat, a sinister wind swept through the mountains, wailing in a way that would cause goosebumps to prickle the necks of anyone it touched.

At the actual source of the Yan River, it was possible to see aquatic monsters lurking within the surging water, their scales glittering and claws flashing. A fiendish aura filled the area, making it obvious that danger lurked everywhere, the type that could bring death even to those who cultivated profound energy arts.

At the moment, Yang Qi stood at the entrance of the Blackcorpse Mountains, marveling at the danger he sensed.

"Ahh. So these are the Blackcorpse Mountains!"

His first impression was that they were incredible, and clearly the work of ghosts or gods.

The mountains were more than a thousand kilometers away from Yanhaven, and the road between them was fraught with inhospitable territory and other dangers that normally meant the journey would take half a month. But with Yang Qi's incredible cultivation base and energy arts, he could make the journey in about a day.

Sitting down cross-legged, he rested for a bit before pulling a bag out of the fold of his garment that was filled with energy convergence pills. They were sparkling and translucent, with an emerald-green surface and medicinal energy swirling inside.

Advertisements

Energy convergence pills had been invented ages ago by a holy expert. Originally, they were simply intended to strengthen the body, improve the meridians and solidify longevity. Eating one such pill would make a person so full they wouldn't need to eat for an entire day.

In terms of the ingredients, they varied, and contained everything from the quintessence of the sun and moon to the spirit energy of heaven and earth. Eventually, they became a form of currency, replacing the previous system of gold and silver.

They could be used to purchase all sorts of things, from weapons to armor, from silk to servants.

They also had another common function. When going into remote areas to practice cultivation, such as Yang Qi was doing in the Blackcorpse Mountains, they made it unnecessary to bring bulky food rations.

After consuming a few energy convergence pills, Yang Qi circulated his energy. Cracking sounds erupted from his muscles, tendons, bones, and joints as the energy swirled into the area around him, flattening nearby plants and vegetation.

"I have ten days until I have to go to that banquet. I wonder if Yan Gufeng really plans to make a move on me; regardless, I have to promote the glory of the clan. And I have to be ready to fight Yun Hailan and Song Haishan one day, to cleanse myself of the humiliation they caused me…. Ten days. I have ten days to break into the seventh phase of energy arts."

Whoosh!

Without any further hesitation, he activated his defensive energy arts and leaped into the trees, quickly becoming a blur that headed deep into the mountains.

His hope was to get to the Energy Manifestation level as quickly as possible, which would increase his battle prowess by another tenfold. He would also be able to use energy to form corporeal objects, thus giving him access to energy arts such as the Fiend-Devil Wings and the Infernal Deity Aegis. At that point, even people in the eighth phase would have trouble dealing with him.

Once he had his Fiend-Devil Wings, he would be able to glide through the air as though he were flying, which would make it much more difficult for enemies to fight him. That much was evident from what he had seen of Yan Feixia and her Wings of the White Crane, which had enabled her to easily dodge out of the way of the crossbow bolts the enemy had loosed.

And his Fiend-Devil Wings would definitely make him far more agile than the Wings of the White Crane would. Because of how vastly extraordinary the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth was, not even Yang Qi was exactly sure of how powerful he would be.

And if he added the Infernal Deity Aegis into the mix to defend himself, it would make him almost impossible to beat.

That was not even mentioning the fact that when he reached the Energy Manifestation level he would also be capable of telekinesis and other feats. At that point, every inch of his body would be like a weapon, which would make his fighting style much more diverse and varied.

The deep forest was densely packed with towering trees, most of them dozens of meters tall. As for the forest floor, it was covered by a mat of fallen leaves. And as Yang Qi got deeper and deeper in, he could sense the auras of powerful devillings lurking about.

Even if he was able to move along on the treetops, he wouldn't be safe.

After traveling for a bit, he stopped on a tree branch to catch his breath. As he did, he suddenly sensed a pungent aroma from behind him, and could feel something like a breeze on the back of his neck.

Turning, he saw an enormous viper, thicker than his own waist, its mouth wide as it glared at him. From the liquid dripping from its enormous fangs, it was obvious that this snake was poisonous.

"Well, hello," Yang Qi said, leaping out of the way of the striking snake to land on another nearby tree.

From the way the vicious viper's ghastly pale scales glittered, it was clear they were impervious to all sorts of weapons. Furthermore, there was a trace of intelligence in the viper's eyes as it looked over at Yang Qi, opened its mouth, and spat out a burst of energy.

The head-sized bullet of toxic energy shot toward Yang Qi as fast as an arrow, causing the air to hum around it.

Shockingly, the viper was using a bizarre energy art that contained hypertoxic poison. This huge snake was an intelligent demonling, whose energy arts put it at roughly the fifth phase.

Because devillings usually grew to enormous sizes, they would develop all sorts of unique energy arts. In terms of variety, their energy arts surpassed humans, and would usually contain memories from ancient ancestors.

According to the legends, generations and generations in the past, the entire continent had been ruled by demons and devils, who kept humans as slaves. Those demons and devils had been so shockingly powerful that they could level mountains and fill in seas, and were supposedly the original inventors of energy arts.

Eventually, saints and holy ones arose among humans, who then drove away the demons and devils, and paved the way for the modern era.

However, many of the wild beasts in the mountains could still trace their bloodlines back to primeval times, and even had ancient memories of that era. Naturally, they could cultivate all sorts of energy arts.

Apparently, this huge viper was a demonling who had some of those ancient memories.

"You beast!" Yang Qi shouted, throwing his hand out in front of him, sending an energy wave out that completely destroyed the toxic energy.

The giant snake's shock was clearly visible in its eyes, as it realized that this opponent actually surpassed its own abilities. It instantly coiled up and tried to make a break for the forest floor. Shockingly, it was quite intelligent, probably at the level of an eight- or nine-year-old child.

And yet, even as it attempted to flee, a spear made of true energy stabbed directly through it, killing it and pinning it to the tree in the blink of an eye.

Normally speaking, this snake's massive life force would ensure that, even if it were pinned to a tree, it wouldn't die. But the Infernal Deity Spear was too strong, and instantly killed it. The spear didn't rely on poisons like the snake. Instead, it contained the boundless will of hell, a force that would destroy the souls of any living beings it struck, including the enormous viper.

After a moment, the true energy that made up the Infernal Deity Spear faded away, and the enormous viper dropped down onto the leafy ground. Yang Qi hopped down next to it; drawing on his true energy, he summoned a sharp blade and then began to skin it.

Moments later, he had the entire viper's pelt.

Next, he dug into its innards until he found its gallbladder, which contained a faintly-glimmering blue crystalline shape that resembled a gem. It was none other than ademon core.

When demonlings reached the fifth phase of energy arts, they would naturally form a demon core, which would contain the quintessence of their cultivation base and energy arts.

On the black market, demon cores could be exchanged for energy convergence pills, depending on the level of the core itself.

That was another reason why people would often enter the mountains to hunt beasts; selling demon cores could be very profitable. It was the same with the Yang Clan's autumn hunt, which was a competition of sorts for the younger ones; whoever got the most demon cores would be rewarded by the clan.

The autumn hunt would usually bring in demon cores worth more than a million energy convergence pills, and also served the function of providing important training for the young ones, as well as an assessment of their strength.

As far as Yang Qi was concerned, getting some demon cores wouldn't be very difficult at all. The clan was bankrupt now, and therefore, hunting demonlings would be a great way to help reverse that situation. Normally speaking, it would take a whole group of young clan members working very hard to take out a huge viper like this. But when Yang Qi went all out with his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, he was able to kill it in one hit.

It almost seemed like it was a technique specifically designed to be the bane of demonlings.

It also made Yang Qi capable of hunting demonlings even more quickly than experts in the Master of Energy level.

After killing the viper and harvesting its demon core, he once again activated his defensive energy arts, and then blurred into motion into the trees.

Thanks to his heightened sense of hearing, he was able to hear all sorts of noises around him in the forest.

Suddenly, his nose twitched. "Hm, seems that there's a group of silverback devilwolves not too far off. Smells like blood too."

Hopping down out of a tree, he sped toward a glade up ahead, until he caught sight of about a dozen wolves with sleek, silver fur, tearing some corpses into pieces.

Unexpectedly, the corpses were human, and many of them had armor on. There were also weapons scattered in the area.

Apparently, these were adventurers similar to Yang Qi, but who had fallen victim to the silverback devilwolves.

Advertisements

These beasts were even more dangerous than the huge viper Yang Qi had just fought. They traveled in packs, had a rigid ranking system, and could move like the wind. Upon reaching maturity, all such wolves would develop energy arts of a terrifying nature, making them impervious to most weapons.

Anyone who encountered a pack of silverback devilwolves was in for a tragedy; it was worse than offending an entire aristocratic clan.

Furthermore, these wolves had nearly human-level intelligence.

Supposedly, some of them actually descended from a famous Demon Sage of ancient times, and still contained some of his memories in their blood.

Almost as soon as Yang Qi arrived on the scene, all of the devilwolves stopped feasting on the corpses, and turned to look at him.

Sage Monarch

The silverback devilwolves weren't startled at all by the sudden presence of a human. One of them, a particularly large male, extended his paw in Yang Qi's direction and then beckoned at him, as though saying, 'Bring it on, you little punk!'

The scorn and bald-faced ridicule in his eyes were clear.

It was a very strange scene.

Not many people in the world could understand what it would be like to have a wolf look at you with scorn, and tell you to attack it. This wolf had long since become fully sentient, and was as intelligent as a human. The only thing it lacked was the ability to speak.

As for Yang Qi, he remained completely calm in response to what was happening.

After all, there were demonlings in the Blackcorpse Mountains who were even more intelligent than these wolves, and some of the old ones were at the Master of Energy level.

He remembered his father telling him a story back when he was young, about how the clan had once been chasing a golden rhino in their hunt in the Blackcorpse Mountains, and ended up going deeper into the forest than they expected. That was when they suddenly ran into a powerful divine ape whose cultivation base was well into the Master of Energy level. The ape even managed to injure one of the chief elders in the resulting fray. Thankfully, the creature wasn't murderous in nature, otherwise the entire Yang Clan might have suffered a fatal blow.

"You beasts!" Yang Qi suddenly shouted.

As would be expected, the leader of the devilwolf pack understood, and was enraged. He threw his head back and roared, then swiped his paw out, causing a ball of intensely hot energy to appear. As it flew through the air, it swelled in size, transforming into a wind weapon.

"The power of gale force winds…?" Yang Qi instantly realized that the devilwolf cultivated a formidable energy art, and was in the sixth phase, enabling it to create weapons from energy. More weapons appeared in the air; axes, sabers, swords, hooks, spears, tridents…. Most people who faced an array of weapons like this would be transformed into corpses.

Advertisements

In the deep forest, one could kill an enemy without anyone ever knowing; therefore, Yang Qi wasn't worried about the possibility of his secrets being revealed, and had no qualms about using his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth.

Looking at the incoming wind weapons, he coldly chuckled, then shoved his hand out, causing a divine shield to shoot out in front of him, completely crushing all of the weapons.

Then, the energy continued onward, slamming into the wolves, causing them to wail in fear and pain, and prostrate themselves on the ground. Apparently, the hell-crushing power of a godmammoth was particularly effective in dominating wild demons and devils.

BAM!

In a blur of motion, Yang Qi jumped toward the leader of the pack and struck him with his right hand. The wolf instantly flew off to the side and slammed into a tree, dissolving into a mass of blood and gore.

The other silverback devilwolves were instantly thrown into chaos, but had no time to react before a hail of fist strikes instantly killed them.

Normally speaking, wolves had very strong heads and backs, and needed to be struck in the belly to do any damage. But Yang Qi didn't need to worry about that. After all, one of the stances of his Invincible King's Fist technique wasNo Stronghold Too Powerful.

It only took about five breaths of time before all of the devilwolves were transformed into corpses.

The head of each wolf, upon being broken open, revealed a thumb-sized silver pellet, which was none other than a demon core, pulsing with true energy. As of this moment, Yang Qi now had thirteen demon cores. Silverback devilwolves were rather unique, and on the black market, their demon cores were considered hard currency.

Top experts could use them to forge divine weapons, or embed them in suits of armor. Some people would even harvest the true energy from inside of them.

Of course, before absorbing the true energy from the demon cores, they would have to be purified. By skipping that step, one would run the serious risk of experiencing cultivation deviation.

"What a pity. Their pelts are pretty valuable, but I don't have any way to transport them." It really was a pity; silverback devilwolf pelts could be sold for at least a hundred or so energy convergence pills.

In addition to the wolf corpses, there were also the human corpses that the wolves had been feeding on. There were four, all of them mangled nearly to the point of being unrecognizable. However, it was still possible to tell that three were male and one was female, all of them young. Presumably, these were young lords and a lady from some rich and powerful clan, sent here on training.

After checking the corpses, Yang Qi found some weapons and armor, as well as a bag containing a few dozen demon cores. Clearly, this group had successfully hunted down quite a few demonlings before meeting their end. They also had some banknotes on them.

Yang Qi took all of the demon cores, as well as the banknotes, which were worth about ten thousand energy convergence pills altogether.

Unfortunately, all of the actual energy convergence pills they had possessed had been consumed by the devilwolves.

Demonlings couldn't concoct medicinal pills; they could only practice instinctual cultivation. As such, it was easy to imagine how much they coveted energy convergence pills.

"I suppose I should give you a proper burial," Yang Qi murmured. With that, he carved out a pit, arranged the four corpses inside, and then buried them.

Having accomplished these things, he stood, and then shot into motion again, his feet blurring as he raced through the trees. After traveling some distance, he found a good spot to sit down cross-legged and do a bit of cultivation. Adjusting his energy arts, he did what was necessary to keep himself in top condition.

Technically, he was still on the edges of the Blackcorpse Mountains. In their depths, danger increased; demonlings like the silverback devilwolves were more common there, and there were also things like the eighth phase golden rhinos, which were even more powerful.

Golden rhinos were strange creatures, and their demon cores were particularly valuable, selling for hundreds of thousands of energy convergence pills.

As Yang Qi rested, he contemplated how he was going about his cultivation, and came to a conclusion. "This type of killing isn't enough to draw out my potential. And it's not helping me absorb the lightning mammoth. It seems I need to put myself in greater danger. The more dangerous the situation, the faster I'll get to the seventh phase."

With that, he headed deeper into the mountains, hoping to encounter larger groups of demonlings, and thus advance more quickly toward his breakthrough.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Throughout that time, Yang Qi worked his way deeper and deeper into the Blackcorpse Mountains. In fact, he even reached areas that the Yang Clan had never traveled to during their hunts.

He encountered countless groups of demonlings: blood boars, giant bees, flying tigers, vampire bats, shadow mastiffs, devil-hunting spiders, man-eating ants, and more. Many of them were equivalent to humans in the seventh phase of energy arts, and yet Yang Qi killed them all.

On a few occasions, he found himself in great danger.

For example, the time he fought a massive colony of man-eating ants, each of which was the size of a human fist. They were fierce to the extreme, and would kill and eat anything in their path. Thankfully, Yang Qi was strong enough to fight through them and escape with his life.

He remained on guard at all times, and ate energy convergence pills when he got hungry. When he was thirsty, he would drink spring water, and would sleep with one eye open, ready to fight for his life at a moment's notice.

Thankfully, his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth was particularly effective in this situation. The lightning mammoth continued to deliver him the quintessence of its life force, enabling him to push far past normal human limits. On some occasions when his energy arts reached the limit, power would suddenly erupt within him, like floodwaters breaking through a dam, and he would experience profound transformations.

Soon, the signs of an imminent breakthrough grew more apparent.

One day, rain began to fall, rapidly turning into a downpour that soaked everything in the area. The intense heat vanished, to be replaced by water, thunder, and lightning.

Silver snakes danced in the sky, lightning that would occasionally smash into the mountains below. Yang Qi was seated cross-legged on a tree, circulating his energy in a way that caused the falling rain to be flung off to the side, and keeping himself completely dry.

The sound of the thunder was like music to his ears, and as his thoughts roamed, he slowly became one with creation. It was as though he had fused with the lightning, with the thunder, and with the wind.

As the lightning crashed, it soon became possible to see sparks of electricity entering him, fusing with the membrane under his skin, and inciting his life force.

Ever since he had been struck by lightning, he had found that practicing cultivation in stormy weather was particularly enjoyable.

Gradually, electricity reached his forehead, and the golden imp that resided there.

Suddenly, Yang Qi realized that the golden imp was absorbing the lightning, making him seem almost alive.

"Senior? Senior…?" Yet again he tried to communicate with the imp, but was ignored. Suddenly, the lightning above ceased, and the golden imp went completely still.

In fact, he almost couldn't sense its existence.

After a bit of time passed, the storm continued, making the forest a world of water. Water pooled into lakes, and dripped off of the trees, to the point where Yang Qi could see fish everywhere, eating the insects in the area.

There were also devillings crouching in hiding, concealing themselves from the fury of nature.

Advertisements

As Yang Qi waited for the rain to stop, he continued with his cultivation. In his left hand was a demon core about the size of a longan fruit, which came from a seventh phase devil-hunting spider that he had killed the night before.

Devil-hunting spiders were chaotic, primeval creatures who naturally developed energy arts as they grew larger. Eventually, they would become big enough to eat humans, or shoot silk up into the air to snag massive flying birds.

Normally speaking, the most elite young members of the rich and powerful clans would have to team up to handle a devil-hunting spider. Even top experts in the eighth phase, like Yang Shi, would have trouble dealing with one. After all, their silk was particularly powerful.

But when that devil-hunting spider was ambushed by Yang Qi, his Infernal Deity Spear ensured that it didn't even know what hit it.

After he got back to the clan, he would be able to sell its demon core on the black market for at least three hundred thousand energy convergence pills.

Sage Monarch

"It's too bad I haven't found any demonlings in the eighth phase, they're the only ones that are worth a million energy convergence pills."

Sighing, Yang Qi put away the devil-hunting spider core. 'The more demonlings I fight, the more I can help my clan. And that's not even mentioning the training on my side. My cultivation base is already in the Energy Weapon level, high enough that I don't need to worry about seventh phase experts. Only eighth phase opponents would cause me problems. That having been said, if I ran into a big group of eighth phase demonlings, I might end up dead."

At the moment, he wasn't afraid of fighting demonlings one on one. But big groups of them? That was a different story. For example, the devil-hunting spider he had fought was in the seventh phase, and he had been fine. But if he had been facing seventeen or eighteen at a time, he would have had no other option than to turn and run.

After all, devil-hunting spiders could shoot their silk high into the air, and even pull mighty eagles to the ground.

"No use worrying about it. I'll just head deeper into the mountains. If I can find an eighth phase demonling worth a million, it would relieve a lot of the pressure on eldest brother and second brother as they try to restore the bloodline's assets."

Gritting his teeth, he headed further into the forest.

Meanwhile, it continued to rain, and occasional muffled booms of thunder rang out, shaking the mountains. Occasionally, lightning would strike portions of the mountains, unleashing flash floods. At this point, Yang Qi was far off the beaten path in the Blackcorpse Mountains. Only experts in the Master of Energy level would ever dare to venture this deep.

ROAR!

Suddenly, the sound of some enormous beast echoed out from the direction of a nearby flooded area.

"What's that? Sounds pretty strong." The sound waves caused by the roar left Yang Qi's ears ringing.

Advertisements

Leaping into motion, he drew on his energy arts, flying a hundred paces in a single motion. Being careful to avoid the rushing floodwaters, he proceeded along until he reached a cliff with a huge waterfall. The sound of the water crashing onto the rocks below was like the marching of a huge army of horses and men.

Surprisingly, Yang Qi immediately caught sight of a demonling at the bottom of the waterfall, seemingly bathing.

In truth, the creature… was practicing martial arts forms.

And it was the source of the roar he had heard moments ago.

It was an enormous ape, as tall as three humans put together, with white fur and green eyes. It looked almost like some sort of evil ghost, standing there on a boulder beneath the waterfall, striking out, sending water spraying everywhere with each blow.

Considering that the waterfall was three hundred meters tall, it could only be imagined how powerful the force of the falling water was at the bottom. It was probably enough to destroy low-lying mountains, and yet, the energy which flew out of the palms of this white-furred ape was more than a match for it.

ROAR!

Almost as soon as Yang Qi caught sight of the beast, it twitched as though it had sensed something. Then it looked over its shoulder, its eyes locking down directly onto Yang Qi's hiding place.

It was almost as though nothing could possibly hide from it.

Instantly, Yang Qi felt some mysterious force locking down onto his soul; even if he fled for a thousand kilometers, he knew that he wouldn't be able to shake this white ape.

'Thousand Kilometer Soul Locking? Shit! This white ape is no joke. His energy arts and cultivation base have reached the point of perfection. In terms of his general level, he's probably beyond father, and even further beyond him in energy arts. I'm definitely not a match for him! I wonder if he's in the Master of Energy level?'

Not willing to test out his theory, he turned to leave.

He knew that he could not handle this creature, and in fact, not even his own father could do so. An opponent with Thousand Kilometer Soul Locking was just too powerful. It was a technique that could be used only after one's energy arts reached the pinnacle, and made one extremely sensitive to energy fluctuations, to the point where one could lock one's senses onto an enemy, and track them for hundreds upon hundreds of kilometers.

Only experts in the ninth phase, or possibly the peak of the eighth phase, could use such an ability. And that level was far beyond Yang Qi. Maybe if he was already in the seventh phase, he might have taken the risk. But in the sixth phase, he was absolutely certain that he would end up dead.

Even more relevant was that this wasn't a human. It was a massive ape, so enormous that his true energy was probably three or four times as abundant as that of an average expert of the same level.

Unfortunately, although Yang Qi wanted to leave, the ape didn't seem inclined to let him.

With a roar, the beast struck out with his palm, sending a stream of energy into the waters of the lake around him. Instantly, the water and energy turned into a twisting dragon that lunged toward Yang Qi, mouth gaping. In the shortest of moments, it was right on top of Yang Qi, who was three thousand meters away.

"Not good!"

Yang Qi immediately burst into motion like a stone flung by a catapult.

An instant later, the water dragon's 'mouth' snapped down onto the tree he had been standing on, shattering it into splinters.

Yang Qi could tell that if that 'mouth' had hit him, it would have ripped him to shreds.

"One attack went three thousand paces?" he thought, shaken. "Incredible energy arts!"

The so-called Hundred Paces Divine Fist got its name because it was an ability used to project destructive energy to a distance of a hundred paces. However, after a hundred paces, the true energy would simply fade away.

Based on Yang Qi's current energy arts and cultivation base, he could actually strike things five hundred paces away, which was farther than most bows could shoot. However, three thousand paces was simply too enormous of a distance to even contemplate. This white ape was definitely that far away, and yet had attacked with energy arts in terrifying fashion.

"Hmm?" The white ape was clearly shocked that Yang Qi managed to dodge his blow. However, all he did was smile viciously, revealing a host of ghastly fangs. At the same time, the white fur on his face floated about, untouched by the water.

Then, he launched himself into the air, flying out of the waterfall, a pair of golden wings appearing on his back that made him look like a huge roc. These wings were far larger than the Wings of the White Crane, and clearly more powerful.

"Roc energy arts?"

Almost before Yang Qi could even react, the white ape was descending on him, his fists lashing out to unleash shocking levels of energy.

Suddenly, the air around Yang Qi swirled into a vortex, locking him into place as surely as fetters, making him like a tiny rowboat in the face of a massive, inescapable tidal wave.

Death and destruction were about to hit him head-on.

Worse, he knew that his own energy arts were like nothing compared to the ape's. In fact, if this ape appeared back in Yanhaven, only City Magistrate Yan Gufeng would be his match.

"DIE!" Yang Qi shouted, his battle spirit surging. He knew that the only option he had right now was to put everything on the line and fight. Muscles rippling, he drew on the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, causing an aura like that of a devilish god to erupt out, something so monstrous it would strike fear into the hearts of even demons and ghosts.

His Infernal Deity Spear materialized in his hand, which he stabbed directly toward the white ape's throat.

The white ape was visibly shocked; he could clearly sense the destructive nature of the Infernal Deity Spear, which contained true energy that immediately weighed down on his soul.

Instantly, a flood of water erupted from his hand, forming into an enormous cudgel which he thrust out toward the Infernal Deity Spear.

When the two weapons collided, the force shoved Yang Qi backward and dispelled his spear. At the same time, the power of the enormous cudgel entered his meridians and pierced into his sea of energy, seriously injuring him and causing cracking sounds to echo out inside of his body.

"Lightning mammoth!" he shouted in his mind. Instantly, the power of the lightning mammoth swept through him, repairing the damage to his meridians.

Because of the incredible pressure he was under, it was in that very moment that, at long last, the fourth particle within him awoke, yet again advancing his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. In the blink of an eye, his limbs and bones all pulsed with the blessing of the power of four ancient megamammoths.

"Spear!" he shouted. Yet again, the Infernal Deity Spear appeared. Simultaneously, his sea of energy began to churn as hell vortexes sprang into being to power the spear. Without any hesitation, he thrust the spear out, causing it to blur with devilish speed toward the white ape's chest.

Never could the white ape have guessed that his opponent would achieve a breakthrough right in the middle of their fight, and experience a massive increase in his energy arts. And yet, he still had no intentions of letting Yang Qi go. Yang Qi was too valuable to him; the energy arts the ape cultivated required that he absorb the true energy of people just like this.

And his understanding of cultivation far surpassed that of ordinary humans.

His floodwater cudgel suddenly twisted like storm winds, once again slamming into the Infernal Deity Spear. The attack was blocked, and yet, an aura like that of devils from hell still poured into the white ape's soul, destabilizing his true energy.

Yang Qi seized the opportunity to attack again, summoning a dozen Infernal Deity Spears to create an array that he sent shooting toward the white ape.

Simultaneously, he flitted into the air like a bird, unleashing six moves from the Invincible King's Fist, each of them targeting a vital area on the huge ape's body.

Advertisements

ROAR!

Apparently, this ape had never experienced humiliation like this. Snarling ferociously, he lifted his cudgel and unleashed his energy arts, summoning an endless mass of floodwaters to create something like a wall, formed of numerous smaller layers. The Infernal Deity Spears pierced into the wall, destroying one layer after another, and causing the entire wall to tremble. But it was a wall that combined both hard and soft elements, and thus, despite the power of the spears, they eventually faded away, having failed to destroy it.

"Mountain!" the ape howled. Energy surging, it sent masses of floodwaters swirling into the air to form a mountain that then shot toward Yang Qi.

It was a mountain so enormous that Yang Qi had no hope of dodging out of the way of the attack.

"Fine," Yang Qi said. "Let's see what else you can do." Unfazed, he threw his hands wide, drawing on the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, throwing his palms out to meet the incoming mountain.

Sage Monarch

As Yang Qi threw his palms out, he unleashed two rumbling attacks whose sounds rivaled the very waterfall they were fighting nearby.

When they hit the mountain, it shattered, becoming like a heavenly net covering everything below it.

Tendrils of water then snaked through the air, wrapping around Yang Qi's limbs. Clearly, this white ape's energy arts really had reached the point of perfection, as revealed by his Mind Incarnation abilities.

Each of the projected water tendrils was covered with serrated barbs that allowed them to latch onto a target with tenacious force and drag it about. They were essentially endless ropes covered with razor-sharp teeth!

It was the type of force that could tear through any defensive energy arts that got in its way.

At the moment, Yang Qi was surrounded by water, which was slashing at him and trying to rip him apart. There was so much water that he couldn't even see where the white ape was, and could sense his defensive true energy trembling wildly.

Furthermore, the white ape wasn't going all out; he wanted to capture Yang Qi and extract his energy. He didn't want him dead.

Anyone else in this situation would already have been torn to pieces. Luckily, Yang Qi was Yang Qi.

"Hell-crushing godmammoths can crush mountains and level seas! They can scare all demons and devils into submission!"

In this moment of extreme crisis, Yang Qi slipped into a deeper state of existence. The quintessence of the lightning mammoth flowed through him with greater speed than ever, replenishing his true energy and stimulating the particles that represented the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, prodding them away from their state of slumber.

Advertisements

The white ape was on the outside, fueling the streams of water with his energy arts, confused as to why Yang Qi wasn't weakening, but instead, seemed to be getting more powerful. This ape had never been in a situation like this, in which a human in the Energy Weapon level could stand up to his eighth phase Energy Incarnation abilities. And that was especially the case considering that he was a demonling at the peak of his level.

Just when the ape was about to pour more power into his attack, Yang Qi's true energy ran out, and a shocking aura erupted within him.

Thanks to the incredible pressure, he had just absorbed another full portion of the lightning mammoth, causing a fifth particle within him to wake up, unleashing the power of a fifth ancient megamammoth.

All of a sudden, Yang Qi himself seemed like an awakening megamammoth from ancient times. He shivered as energy flows erupted all around him, exploding with power as they destroyed the water that surrounded him.

Because the true energy now flowing through him was simply too forceful, his meridians began to crystallize. At the same time, the flows of true energy began to atomize, becoming liquid inside of him, transforming into something viscous within his sea of energy, something ten times as powerful as before.

In fact, Yang Qi could actually close his eyes and peer into that true energy liquid in his sea of energy and see creatures appearing and disappearing, beings like cranes, tigers, dragons and also, megamammoths….

In this moment of grave crisis, he achieved his breakthrough, rising into the seventh phase of energy arts, the Energy Manifestation level.

When entering this level, one's true energy would change on a fundamental level. The most obvious change was how it became liquid, making it of a far higher quality than the state it had existed in before.

It was a watershed that most experts spent twenty or thirty years trying to pass, and in fact, many didn't.

With every higher level one reached with one's energy arts, it was like stepping into a new world. As for the seventh phase, in any aristocratic clan in the Rich-Lush Continent, people of that level were treated with utmost respect.

Telekinesis. Flying through the air. Converging energy into corporeal form…. There were all sorts of abilities that only came when one broke through into the Energy Manifestation level.

And now, thanks to the violent pressure provided by this white ape, Yang Qi broke through into that level that he had dreamed of day and night.

Because of that, his true energy dramatically rose by ten times. With a casual swipe of his hand, he destroyed the water around him, transforming it into nothing more than countless water droplets. Then, in shocking fashion, he seemed to completely defy gravity as he remained hovering in place in midair.

SWISH!

Suddenly, two magnificent wings spread out behind him.

They were completely formed from true energy, and were as pitch black as the depths of the universe. At the same time, they were covered with innumerable mysterious magical symbols, as well as images of powerful devils. They surged with a fiendish aura, which caused everything within a hundred paces to suddenly be cast into utter darkness, as though hell itself were being pulled into the world of men.

These wings were sinister, but at the same time majestic and unsurpassably mysterious.

Compared to the Roc Wings or the Wings of the White Crane, they were far more powerful. In fact, when facing the pressure of the Fiend-Devil Wings, the white ape's Roc Wings instantly began to dissipate.

As the Fiend-Devil Wings slowly flapped back and forth, Yang Qi hovered in the air, looking every bit like a devilish god. And when his cold gaze latched onto the white ape, the ape felt as though it were being stabbed to the core.

ROAR!

The ape bared its fangs and roared in ferocious fashion; clearly, it was not any more fearful of Yang Qi than it had been before his breakthrough. Reaching out, it yet again summoned its enormous water cudgel, as large as a tree.

"Infernal Deity Spear!" Yang Qi growled, standing his ground. When the long, devilish spear appeared in his hand, it was longer and bigger than before, and pulsed with black mist. When he stabbed out with it, the wails of hellish ghosts and deities could be heard, and all of the floodwaters in the area turned dark. At the same time, the black mist streaming off of the spear transformed into what appeared to be a being from hell itself, clad in a long black robe, an infernal deity the likes of which governed matters of both life and death.

The Infernal Deity Spear stabbed toward the floodwater cudgel, and before the two could even make contact, the cudgel seemed to shrink back in fear, and then collapse into pieces.

"Thrust of the Infernal Deity!" Yang Qi shouted. His Fiend-Devil Wings flapped, and he hefted his Infernal Deity Spear as he stabbed it toward the white ape's chest.

Howling, the ape yet again summoned a wall of water, formed of many layers. However, this time, that wall did little good. The Infernal Deity Spear destroyed it like a hot knife slicing through butter. In the blink of an eye, the spear was right in front of the ape.

SHUNK!

White hair was stained crimson as the spear stabbed into the ape, and blood sprayed out like a geyser. Then, the will of that infernal deity from hell immediately latched onto the ape's soul.

ROOAAAAAAR!!!

Never in ten thousand years could the white ape have guessed that the opponent who moments ago had been a fish in a barrel would suddenly turn the tables and actually harm him. Enraged, he employed an evasive move to leap out of range of the spear, then turned and fled into the waterfall.

"Hmm?" Yang Qi murmured, shocked that the white ape apparently had some sort of tunnel dug into the mountain behind the waterfall.

This enormous ape was definitely no joke. He had profound energy arts, had constructed a lair, and had even reached the level of Thousand Kilometer Soul Locking. Yang Qi knew that if he didn't end him now, and the ape came after him later for revenge, it could end up being the end of the Yang Clan.

And if he broke through to the ninth phase, the Master of Energy level, he would be even more terrifying.

To top it all off, the white ape had been the one to start the fight, hoping to capture Yang Qi. And after wounding him, Yang Qi could see the hatred in his eyes, and knew that leaving it to fester could have horrifying results.

In both his guts and his brain, Yang Qi knew that he had to face this danger head-on, and try to kill the white ape. That would be the only way to ensure there were no future repercussions.

After all, this white ape was more intelligent than the average human, and would not let a defeat and a humiliation like this go unavenged.

"Infernal Deity Aegis!" Yang Qi said, causing energy to swirl out and surround him with an iron-clad vortex that was almost like a shell. Protected in this fashion, not even water could touch him from outside.

This defense mechanism would not only negate most attacks that were sent his way, it even had the potential to send out backlash attacks in response.

This was essentially the most powerful type of protection there was.

Compared to the Infernal Deity Aegis, the Golden Bell Rampart he had faced in the past was as weak as a piece of paper.

With that, Yang Qi slipped like a fish through the waterfall and into the tunnel beyond.

His foot touched solid ground, which was slippery stone. The tunnel was large, as tall as five or six people, and definitely spacious enough for the white ape. Apparently, it had been carved right into the mountain itself, and was almost like the entrance to some sort of palace, right behind the waterfall.

Painted on the walls were various images of apes and monkeys, some of them sitting in meditation, others practicing sword techniques or training with staffs. There were even glowing meridian diagrams with instructions for various energy art techniques. Shockingly, all sorts of martial techniques for apes and monkeys were stored here.

On the ground were some splatters of blood, the evidence of the white ape's passage.

As of this moment, Yang Qi was both skilled and confident. He had pushed his cultivation to the seventh phase and had his Fiend-Devil Wings, his Infernal Deity Aegis, and the power of five ancient megamammoths. Add in the fact that the white ape was now at a serious disadvantage, and Yang Qi didn't hesitate at all to follow the trail of blood deeper into the tunnel.

Before long, his eyes glittered as he entered a large chamber, within which stood the white ape, an enormous golden cudgel with complex floral patterns in his hands. Just looking at it, it was impossible to tell how heavy it was.

This chamber was large enough to hold a thousand people, and was filled with stone bookcases, which were packed with books, papers, bamboo slips, antique items, leather-bound scrolls, metal and stone plaques, as well as weapons of all sorts.

Even odder was that, on the south side of the chamber, next to a burning fire, was a huge pill furnace.

From the look of it, this white ape knew how to concoct medicinal pills.

Not too far from the pill furnace, there was a long, seven-string zither. This place actually looked more like the mansion grotto of a scholar who had achieved hisdao, not the home of a demonling. [1]

Advertisements

The white ape currently stood in the middle of the mansion grotto. His wound had already stopped bleeding, although his fur was still matted with blood. He seemed to be in high spirits, his true energy surging, his eyes shining with a ferocious glint. As soon as he saw Yang Qi, he spoke to him in a voice that resembled a human's.

"I can't believe you actually chased me in here, you little punk. Sadly for you, there won't be any escaping."

"I can leave any time I want." Yang Qi said, apparently not impressed at all by the ape. Smiling, he continued, "But will you promise not to come after me for revenge?"

"No human has ever pushed me into a corner like this before, you brat. So no. I'm going to exterminate your entire clan! I'm going to eat your family! That's the only way to wipe out this humiliation!" With that said, the white ape let out a furious roar.

1. After going back and forth a lot, I've decided to NOT capitalize "dao" in this translation. Although it is generally capitalized in English, I was able to find some texts where it is not, so there is a precedent for using it this way.

"Well I guess that means only one of us is going to leave this place alive," Yang Qi said, his killing intent beginning to boil. He gripped the Infernal Deity Spear so hard that it trembled, casting projections of itself in all directions, almost like a peacock spreading its feathers.

As of this moment, his energy arts did not seem inferior to the white ape's in any way. Not hesitating for a moment, he stabbed out with the spear, whereupon the wails of ghosts and gods could be heard. The projected image of the infernal deity also appeared, and the entire stone chamber was cast into the darkness of hell.

When the white ape saw all of that, he didn't dare to hold back. Swiping his golden cudgel through the air, he unleashed a swarm of deadly attacks.

It was impossible to say exactly what material his cudgel was made from, but it was clearly perfectly suited to his energy arts, making the white ape even more formidable. It even burst into flames as it swung through the air, causing heat waves to ripple out everywhere.

When the spear and the cudgel hit each other, a sonorous sound echoed out like that of a bell. As a result, the white ape staggered backward three paces, and Yang Qi felt his true energy fading a bit.

However, Yang Qi was resilient, and his true energy majestic; considering that he had the power of five ancient megamammoths, which was enough to level the mansion grotto around them, it took only a moment for him to recover.

Gripping his spear, he stabbed out again.

Crackling sounds could be heard as electricity danced on the surface of the Infernal Deity Spear; it hit the golden cudgel again, and sparks rained out everywhere.

ZZZZZZAAAAAP!!!

Metal was the perfect conduit for electricity, and therefore, electricity surged into the cudgel and then the white ape, causing the smell of charred flesh to fill the air. Some of the white ape's fur even caught fire because of it.

Advertisements

With this move, even this demonling with his profound energy arts was put at a disadvantage.

"Lightning energy arts…." he murmured, looking a bit flustered.

Experts who could control lightning with their energy arts were completely terrifying. After all, lightning was a violent natural force, and if it wasn't controlled properly, could easily destroy anyone who tried to use it.

But when Yang Qi was struck by it, he sowed destiny with the lightning mammoth that entered him. And whenever he pushed his energy arts to the limit, the lightning inside of him would subdue all other arts.

As for the white ape's golden cudgel, it was made from some type of metal, and could easily conduct electricity. Therefore, it only took one attack to seriously injured the white ape, damaging his meridians to the point where he could only draw upon half of his normal energy level.

Yang Qi was growing fiercer by the moment, and his energy arts were being unleashed more and more quickly. His Infernal Deity Spear attacked like a lightning bolt, causing the entire chamber to be lit up with the glow of electricity.

It was now a critical moment for the white ape, and his reaction was to go all out. Taking a deep breath, he suddenly began to grow larger, until he was double his previous size. At the same time, he extended his golden cudgel; shockingly, a long metal spike emerged from the end, which he stabbed toward Yang Qi.

That golden cudgel was incredibly heavy; backed by the strength of the white ape, it was enough to reduce most humans to a bloody paste.

Yang Qi's heart trembled. Drawing on all the power he could muster, he poured it into the Infernal Deity Aegis, causing energy to swirl ten paces in every direction, creating an impenetrable barrier.

BAM! KABAM!

One explosion after another rang out as the golden cudgel smashed into the barrier of energy, destroying layer after layer until it was right in front of Yang Qi.

Only then did Yang Qi actually make a move. He drew on all the power of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, causing five ancient megamammoths to appear behind him, trumpeting viciously. At the same time, the divine power of the megamammoth converged in his hands, which he thrust out toward the cudgel in the form of a palm strike.

The momentum of the cudgel was halted, and the cudgel itself actually bent under the force. On the other end, blood began to ooze out between the ape's thumb and forefinger. Then, a moment later, the ape was flung backward, smashing into the wall and sending rock debris out in all directions.

Although the white ape was mighty, he didn't compare at all to the power of five ancient megamammoths.

Yang Qi himself had transformed on a bodily level, from his skin down to his tendons and bones. His fleshly body was no longer as simply constructed as the average human body; once he activated his energy arts, ordinary weapons would not be able to harm him, and although he didn't compare in size to the ape, was basically just as tough as him.

After being hurled into the wall, the ape slumped to the ground and then struggled to rise to his feet. However, there was no way Yang Qi would let him do that. Without any hesitation, he launched the Infernal Deity Spear at the ape's chest.

This ape was a ferocious demonling, and therefore, in this moment of crisis, he suddenly unleashed an explosive display of energy arts. Opening his mouth, he spat out a stream of blazing fire that blocked the spear, instantly dissipating it.

However, that was when Yang Qi reached out and grabbed the golden cudgel, which the ape had dropped earlier. Walking forward, he lifted it up with both hands and used a martial technique of his own,Devastating Mountain-Crushing.

RUMMMBLE!

He could now tell that the cudgel weighed thousands of kilograms, and as he swung it through the air toward the ape, it caused a massive wind to blast out.

The ape itself actually had difficulty using the cudgel sometimes because of its massive weight, but as for Yang Qi, he didn't seem to have any problems at all. The power of five megamammoths combined could move buildings, let alone a cudgel.

"Damnation!" the ape cursed under his breath. "Have to put everything on the line!" There was no way the white ape could avoid the cudgel, so he thrust his palms out to try to block it directly. However, Yang Qi kept hitting him over and over again with all the ferocity he was capable of. He was like a windmill, sending strike after strike bashing into the ape.

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam! Bam!! BAM!!!

He struck out ten times, thoroughly shaking the white ape's defensive true energy until the final strike crushed it.

The ape was struck directly in the torso, breaking his bones, snapping his tendons, and destroying his five viscera. He couldn't even let out a howl or roar. Glaring at Yang Qi, he slumped down onto the ground and died. [1]

"Finally," Yang Qi said. He tossed the huge cudgel to the side, where it smashed into the stone ground of the chamber. Then he walked forward to check the ape, ensuring that he was completely dead, his spiritual souls gone and his physical souls dissipated.

Then he struck out with another palm, breaking open the ape's corpse. There, in his dantian region, was a fist-sized demon core that Yang Qi scooped out.

It was scintillating and gorgeous, and it was possible to see something like magical symbols inside of it. It also contained the true energy formed by the white ape's essence-blood, built up over a lifetime.

"Incredible…. A demon core on the very cusp of the ninth phase. This thing must be worth a million or even more. I wonder what other good stuff this ape has in his mansion grotto." With that, he began to search the cave, starting with the pill furnace.

It was made from some sort of remarkable stone that was as smooth as jade, and blue in color. When he touched it, it felt like ice, as though it contained boundless frigid energy. It was obviously very valuable, but considering there was no way for him to take it away, he would have to return another time for it.

In addition to that, Yang Qi happened to notice that the color of the ground off to the side was strange. Circulating his energy, he struck the stone and shattered it, revealing a secret compartment, which contained a jade box. Opening the box, he saw glittering, golden light coming from a medicinal pill. In addition, there was a scroll that contained, not some secret energy art or cultivation method, but rather, information about the medicinal pill. Presumably, the ape had stolen it from somewhere.

"Nine Transformations Pill Sutra?" he murmured. That was the title on the scroll. As for the text, it contained the medicinal plant ratios required to concoct what was called a Golden Nine Transformations Pill, as well as complex variations to produce different versions.

The effects of the pill were also explained. "Use energy to connect with heaven and earth, and be reborn a master. Those whose energy arts reach the peak of the eighth phase, but cannot break through to the Master of Energy level, can use this medicinal pill to achieve their desired breakthrough."

'Awesome!' Yang Qi thought, delighted. 'Father is already nearing the peak of the eighth phase. If he has trouble breaking through to the Master of Energy level, then he can use this Golden Nine Transformations Pill to be reborn a master. As for me, I have my Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, so I shouldn't have any problems with my breakthrough.'

Yan Gufeng was the only ninth phase expert at the moment, and he controlled the whole city. But if Yang Zhan broke through, then everything could change. Who knew whether Yang Zhan himself might be able to take over.

Yang Qi was already very pleased. Thankfully, the white ape hadn't consumed the pill, otherwise he would have been much more difficult to deal with.

Putting away the Golden Nine Transformations Pill, Yang Qi continued to search the chamber, flipping through various scrolls which had clearly been stolen from human institutes and organizations.

Unfortunately, such things weren't particularly valuable.

Eventually, he found the white ape's treasure store, which contained a box of banknotes worth roughly five million energy convergence pills.

It made sense for demonlings and devillings to hoard wealth, as they required energy convergence pills if they wanted their own cultivation to advance rapidly.

Actually, one of the main reasons that humans rose to power to begin with was because of how popular energy convergence pills turned out to be. Years in the past, when humans could only eat food, they were very weak. At that time, it was almost impossible to practice cultivation to the Energy Eruption level.

The fact that this white ape was so rich indicated that it had killed a lot of humans. After all, if humans could kill demonling and devillings, they could do the same back.

'How many people did that ape kill to get five million energy convergence pills worth of banknotes?' Although he was shocked by the thought, he was also very pleased with all the wealth. It would definitely get the clan's businesses going again, and the idea of making a comeback would now be more than just wishful thinking.

After looking around and seeing nothing more of value, Yang Qi hefted the golden cudgel over his shoulder and then flew out of the mansion grotto.

Considering he didn't know what material the cudgel was made from, he decided that he should take it home with him.

Advertisements

He was now in the seventh phase, the Energy Manifestation level, and could glide along with his Fiend-Devil Wings. With that boost, he could travel ten times as quickly as before.

WHOOSH!

With the flap of his wings, he began to make his way out of the Blackcorpse Mountains.

By this point, the rain had stopped, and it was night, which made everything seem even more frightening. However, during the night, it was also easier to travel stealthily. Flying around in the forest in broad daylight would probably have attracted the wrong kind of attention.

1. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the organs of the body are split into yin-type and yang-type. The yin organs are the liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidneys

Yang Qi's training in the Blackcorpse Mountains had turned out to be very profitable, as he acquired demon cores worth millions. In the white ape's mansion grotto, he acquired fully five million energy convergence pills' worth of banknotes, as well as the Golden Nine Transformations Pill, which was probably worth ten million.

Although it still wasn't enough to make up for the Latent Dragon Pill, it would still do much to help the clan recover.

Even better, his cultivation base had advanced after awakening the fifth particle within him. With the power of five ancient megamammoths, he had pushed his cultivation to the seventh phase of energy arts, the Energy Manifestation level. Combined with his remarkable Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, it meant that he could easily crush experts in the eighth phase.

The white ape's cultivation base had already reached the peak of the eighth phase; considering that he was a demonling, that made him much stronger than a human, and the fact that Yang Qi had bested him indicated that it would be much easier to defeat humans.

For example, if he ran into Yang Shi right now, he could easily win. And there wasn't even a need to mention the number one young genius of the clan, Yang Honglie.

'Hmph. If Yun Hailan and Song Haishan were in Yundale-by-the-Sea instead of the Demi-Immortal Institute, I would sneak in to kill the both of them. It'd serve them right.'

The stronger he got, the angrier he felt about how he had been betrayed by Yun Hailan. Unfortunately, the fact that she was in the Demi-Immortal Institute made her impossible to touch.

The Demi-Immortal Institute was the number one institution in the continent, with more experts than the sky had clouds. They even had people higher than the Master of Energy level, which was the Lifeseizing level. With people like that around Yun Hailan, Yang Qi knew that even if he were stronger than he already was, he would still be courting death to try to lay a hand on her.

The best thing to do now was focus on cultivation, get stronger, restore the glory of the Yang Clan, and slowly develop a plan about how to get revenge.

The political situation in the continent was tenuous and unstable. Numerous vassals were declaring themselves to be nations, and it seemed likely that open conflicts would soon break out. If the Yang Clan remained weak in a situation like that, it was highly possible they could end up being wiped out of existence.

Advertisements

As Yang Qi's Fiend-Devil Wings carried him closer and closer to Yanhaven, a gust of demonic wind swept through the mansion grotto back in the Blackcorpse Mountains, and a new ape appeared, an ape even more enormous than the white ape.

This ape's fur was the color of gold.

His energy arts and cultivation base were so advanced that he could travel about on gusts of winds; clearly, he was powerful to a profound degree. From the look of it, he was an elder family member of the white ape, with arms so thick and long that they nearly touched the ground even when he was standing on two legs.

The claws on his fingers were more than a foot long, and could reduce rock to dust.

When the golden-furred ape saw the white ape laying dead on the ground, he let out a miserable cry. "Little White! Oh, who killed you, Little White….? I'll find your killer and wipe out his entire clan, I swear it. He even stole your demon core!"

Even as he wept, he inhaled deeply, which enabled him to detect a certain aroma on the white ape….

Bursting with ferocity, the golden-furred ape exploded out of the waterfall. From the look of it, his energy arts were already in the ninth phase, the Master of Energy level….

A shadow slid through the darkness of night, entering Yanhaven as stealthily as a ghost, to arrive moments later in the Yang Clan mansion.

It was none other than Yang Qi.

Little Yan was dozing outside of his room when he arrived.

"Young Master, you're back!" she said. Then she noticed the huge cudgel he was carrying, and the dilapidated state of his clothing. Leaping to her feet excitedly, she said, "I'll get a bath ready for you, and a set of clothing. I can comb your hair too!"

Yang Qi waved his hand dismissively, "Nah, I'm clean enough. I'll change clothes real quickly and then go see eldest brother and second brother. You just keep sleeping."

With that, he went to his room, changed into a fine, brocaded garment and then headed over to the main hall. Upon arriving, he found Yang Yunchong going through accounting books with some of the clan's accountants. When the accountants saw Yang Qi entering the hall, they all rose to their feet to offer greetings.

Yang Qi looked at them expressionlessly, aware that they were all secretly cursing him for shoving the clan into bankruptcy. The only reason they were restraining themselves was his cultivation base breakthrough, and the fact that he had defeated Yang Kui in combat.

After all, strength was the most important thing in the world, even more so than wealth. If someone was strong enough, then wealth was easy to obtain.

'If they knew I was already in the seventh phase, and that I just killed an eighth phase demonling, they'd be so scared they'd drop down and worship me.' Waving his hand dismissively, he said, "You're all dismissed for the moment. I have some business to discuss with my eldest brother."

"You're dismissed," Yang Yunchong echoed.

The accountants all left, closing the door behind them.

"Third Brother, I heard that you went alone into the Blackcorpse Mountains to work on your cultivation. I have to admit I was worried, but at the same time, I'm surprised to see you back so soon. What happened?" At that point, his eyes widened a bit. "Your energy arts advanced again?"

Thump!

Yang Qi's bag landed onto the table, and demon cores immediately began to spill out of it.

Yang Yunchong's eyes widened further. "Are these… all from demonlings you killed? How many did you take out? Is this a devil-hunting spider core? It's… it's so big! How did you do this?"

Then he saw the fist-sized demon core from the white ape.

Yang Qi gestured at it. "That's from a white ape I killed. He was in the peak of the eighth phase. I also got these banknotes from his lair."

He placed the five million energy convergence pills' worth of banknotes onto the table.

Yang Yunchong's eyes couldn't have been wider, and he was actually trembling physically. "Third Brother, you…? You single-handedly killed a white ape at the peak of the eighth phase?"

Yang Qi nodded. "Yup. I'm already in the seventh phase myself." Sitting down, he took a drink of tea. "Eldest Brother, why don't you call second brother, and then we can all go see father? I acquired something else that should help him break through to the Master of Energy level."

"Really?" Yang Yunchong was completely blown away by this point. Leaping to his feet, he anxiously said, "Alright, let's call second brother. Hurry!"

Soon, Yang Hualong got the message, and was just as shocked as his eldest brother. And before long, all three brothers were heading toward Yang Zhan's private chamber.

Yang Qi walked up to the closed door and knocked firmly, using his energy arts to make sure the sound penetrated the thick, iron door. As soon as his skin made contact with the door, he could sense a powerful energy flow inside the room.

RUMMMBLE!

The iron door opened, and Yang Zhan stopped performing his energy arts forms. Eyes sparkling with delight, he looked at Yang Qi and said, "Qi'er, did you just send your energy into the door? That's the sign of the Energy Manifestation level.Energy flowing like water, entering sealed locations!Did you break through?"

"Yes, Father. I broke through. Not even ten Yang Honglies working together could kill me now. In fact, I could even defeat Yang Shi if I had to. Father, look at what I got on my trip to the Blackcorpse Mountains!"

With that, he pulled out the box with the Golden Nine Transformations Pill in it. When he opened the lid, light erupted out, along with a refreshing medicinal aroma tinged with the fragrance of orchid and musk.

"A Golden Nine Transformations Pill?" Yang Zhan said, his eyes glittering. "How did you get it?"

"From a white ape I killed." With that, he went on to provide a detailed account of his fight with the white ape, although he left out some of the details of his use of the Fiend-Devil Wings and his Infernal Deity Spear. He simply said that his experience of being struck by lightning helped him to achieve victory.

Yang Zhan looked at the Golden Nine Transformations Pill for a moment, then shook his head. "That pill is yours to use. I don't need it."

"Father, I've already thought this through," Yang Qi said. And indeed he had. He had even thought of the specific words to express his stance. "Because of how I was tempered by the lightning, my cultivation is proceeding with astonishing quickness. In the short time since the incident, I've already progressed from the fourth phase all the way to the seventh. That's three entire levels. And I can tell that my momentum will keep going. What I need to do right now is stabilize my cultivation base. Father, you're in a different position, and can break through to the Master of Energy level right away. Once you do that, the Yang Clan will be in a very different position. New nations are springing up left and right, and the continent is likely to descend into war soon. We need the Yang Clan to be as strong as possible; that's the only way to keep safe."

After a moment of silence, Yang Zhan said, "Very well, Qi'er. Since you've clearly put a lot of thought into the subject, I won't continue to refuse your offer." With that, he reached out and took the pill.

At this point, Yang Qi took out the Nine Transformations Pill Sutra. "Father, this book has the instructions for how to use the pill."

Yang Zhan took the book, sat down cross-legged, and followed the instructions, sending out a stream of true energy to wrap around the pill. As soon as he did, the pill began to glow brightly.

The light spread, until Yang Zhan himself was glowing brightly, making him look pure and holy to the extreme.

Golden Nine Transformations Pills were not consumed like most medicinal pills. If someone tried to eat them the normal way, the pill would burn one's digestive system. Perhaps the white ape had only recently acquired the pill, and had intended to temper his true energy to a certain degree before using it, only to have then encountered Yang Qi.

It remained to be seen whether Yang Zhan would be able to use the pill to actually achieve the breakthrough or not.

As the Golden Nine Transformations Pill began to shrink, sucked away by the true energy, Yang Zhan glittered with bright, multicolored light. He almost looked like a golden Buddha statue.

"I'll need three days to absorb the medicine," Yang Zhan said. "I need to remain in complete seclusion during that time. Even if the heavens begin to fall, don't let anyone disturb me."

"Yes, Father," the three brothers said. Aware of how important the situation was, they left, returning to the main hall to continue discussing business. The first task at hand was to sell the treasures Yang Qi had acquired and use the funds to further clan interests.

"Third Brother, you have to go to the city magistrate's mansion in a few days for that banquet. Be completely on guard when you do. As for what we're going to do with this six or seven million energy convergence pills' worth of wealth, I think the best thing to do is…."

Advertisements

Yang Yunchong was actually very adept at business matters.

Earlier, the Yang Clan's wealth had been stripped in one fell swoop. And as the saying goes,not even the cleverest housewife can cook good food without rice. Thankfully, Yang Qi had just brought a massive amount of wealth, which completely changed the situation.

'Seven million energy convergence pills is a lot, but it's still nothing compared to what I lost the clan. Ai….' The truth was that Yang Qi had never paid much attention to how much wealth the clan had accumulated, and actually had no idea how much money had been lost because of him. All he knew was that the clan had suffered a severe blow.

He had nearly caused their end.

'I have to earn more money. Only if I can fully restore the clan to its former glory will I be content. But, as far as I can tell, the only way to do that is hunt demonlings. I guess the next time I'll have to go deeper into the mountains, and take on even riskier prey.'

Sage Monarch

Yang Qi rested for a few days after returning from the Blackcorpse Mountains. Before long, it was time to attend the banquet at the city magistrate's mansion.

City Magistrate Yan Gufeng had invited all of the unmarried, elite young ones from the rich and powerful clans to assess their potential as a future son-in-law.

The Yan Clan was massive, and ruled everything within five hundred kilometers of the city, making them the leader of at least a million citizens. Anyone who married into a clan like that would become wealthy beyond imagination. Even more relevant was the fact that Yan Feixia was studying at the True Dragon Institute, another powerful connection which could ensure that her husband's path of cultivation in life went smoothly and without hitch.

The news had begun to spread half a month before, and had caused a windstorm of excitement among the elite young ones in Yanhaven. All of them had been preparing as best they could to win the favor of the beautiful Yan Feixia, and hopefully win her hand in marriage.

Yang Qi wasn't particularly interested in that. After being betrayed by Yun Hailan, who happened to be the beloved daughter of the city magistrate of Yundale-by-the-Sea, he had grown wary of women. Right now, his main focus in life was to pursue his cultivation, get stronger, restore his clan to glory, and get revenge on Yun Hailan and Song Haishan….

However, the Yan Clan had sent him an official invitation card, so there was no way he could refuse to go. If the Yang Clan wanted to survive in Yanhaven, then they absolutely could not afford to offend the Yan Clan in any way.

Yang Qi truly rested the days before going to the banquet. He didn't go into secluded meditation to work on cultivation. Instead, he spent time analyzing his experiences fighting demonlings in the Blackcorpse Mountains, especially his climactic battle with the white ape. Such deep analysis furthered his understanding of energy arts significantly.

The Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth had many marvelous aspects, such as the three great abilities of the Infernal Deity Spear, the Infernal Deity Aegis and the Fiend-Devil Wings. He was now very familiar with all three, and when he used them, it was truly like seeing an ancient godmammoth in action, trumpeting with its powerful trunk, pulling moons and stars down out of the sky. But when he hid them, they vanished as if into the depths of hell, where they rested in utter darkness. Not even a Master of Energy would be able to detect them.

In addition to all that, he continued to cultivate and practice the six forms of the Invincible King's Fist. It was in this fashion that he went about preparing for the banquet.

All of the elite young ones would have a chance to compete amongst each other in energy arts at the banquet.

Advertisements

After all, in the Rich-Lush Continent, people respected strength. It didn't matter if it was in the clan, the government or anywhere else, formal gatherings almost always involved martial arts competitions. In fact, it was even a custom for children during New Year's. Whoever performed the best would receive rewards from the clan, and enormous glory.

In many clans, the positions of the parents in the clan would often depend not just on their own energy arts, but also whether their children were talented in cultivation as well.

Obviously, Yang Qi couldn't use his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth during this gathering, only his clan's energy arts. However, considering how incredibly powerful he already was, he was like a wild beast in human form, making even casual moves on his part very deadly.

In fact, he had recently worked a bit on the Golden Bell Rampart, and could easily form an enormous golden bell if he wanted, to a degree that far surpassed the black-robed man from the House of Shadowblight.

Due to his breakthrough, he had gained a much deeper understanding of cultivation. His advancement had been so rapid that, at the moment, not even someone in the Energy Incarnation level would be able to defeat him. Only someone in the ninth phase, the Master of Energy level, would have a chance at crushing him. Of course, considering he had his Fiend-Devil Wings now, if someone like that did come after him, he would still have the option to try to flee.

In only a few weeks, his martial arts had gone from being crippled to the point where he could at least begin to rival someone in the Master of Energy level. It was almost like a dream.

However, in his heart, he had not forgotten that it was all because of the golden imp that resided in his forehead.

That golden imp never moved, but seemed to be in the process of recovering, and could very well wake up one day. Thankfully, Yang Qi was patient. Whenever he worked with his energy arts, he would always take the time to try to communicate with the imp.

Unfortunately, after imparting the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth to him, it had never responded.

Sunrise.

Yang Qi woke up, bathed and groomed himself, put on a fresh set of clothes, and then headed in the direction of the city magistrate's mansion, invitation card in hand.

Virtually every part of the enormous Yanhaven buzzed with excited activity. Elite young ones from all of the aristocratic clans were dressed in their finest, heading to the city magistrate's mansion with servants in tow.

Yang Qi didn't bother bringing anyone. Nor did he take a horse cart or carriage. Instead, he strolled casually through the city toward the mansion.

The mansion was enormous, taking up well over ten thousand hectares within the city. A tributary of the Yan River formed a moat around it, and within its gurgling blue waters, it was just possible to see the shadows of machinery of war.

Simply put, only an insane person would think of trying to storm the city magistrate's mansion.

In addition to the moat, there were towering walls dozens of meters high, majestic and awe-inspiring, with a forest of battlements covering them. Soldiers and officers with profound energy arts patrolled the walls, and their watchful eyes would spot even birds who flew nearby.

There was also a veritable army of enormous projectile weapons with multiple barrels on the walls, which were armor-piercing flame ballistas which could shoot thousands of flaming crossbow bolts. In the face of fire from such ballistas, not even experts in the Master of Energy level could escape with their lives.

This entire mansion was a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons, of concealed threats that would make it virtually impossible for any force to attack it.

When Yang Qi arrived and saw all of the defenses in place, he slowly shook his head. After all, he knew about a secret tunnel that led from the outside all the way to the depths of the mansion.

That information had been given to him by Yun Hailan, back when he had been sure that the two of them were meant for each other, and would run away together. Nowadays, his fantasies of only a few weeks before seemed pathetically childish.

By now, the city magistrate's mansion surely knew about that secret tunnel, which meant that he couldn't simply go in and out of the mansion as he pleased.

By the time he arrived, there were already young ones from various clans gathering at the main entrance of the mansion. There were sedan chairs pulling up, servants yelling, armored guards surveying the scene, and a host of other things going on.

And almost immediately, Yang Qi could sense numerous gazes locking onto him.

At the moment, his mind was clear, like a pool of deep water reflecting the starlight. He could feel every single one of those gazes, and without even turning in their direction, could 'see' who was looking at him.

It was a unique ability that came to those with very high energy arts.

Top experts were essentially impossible to ambush. As soon as anyone even looked at them, they would sense it.

Back in the Blackcorpse Mountains, that white ape had done that very thing, and had then used Thousand Kilometer Soul Locking on him.

Of course, Yang Qi was not at the level in which he could use the soul locking technique; until he reached the eighth phase, it wouldn't do any good to even try to cultivate it.

"See that, guys? That's the lousy Yang Qi from the Yang Clan. I can't believe he has the guts to show up at the city magistrate's mansion!"

"Weren't his martial arts crippled?"

"I heard he recovered. It's probably because of some sort of miraculous spirit medicine his aunt sent him to heal his meridians. She practices cultivation at the Demi-Immortal Institute. Although, I heard another rumor that he got struck by lightning, and experienced some strange transformations afterward. Supposedly his martial abilities all returned. I don't know if that's true or not, though."

"Bah! You really think he would recover from being struck by lightning? It was definitely some spirit medicine sent from his aunt. In any case, after what happened, he's got to be on the outs with the city magistrate. I can't believe he dared to come today. Don't tell me he's like the ugly toad who lusted after the beautiful swan!"

"That guy? He doesn't look like he's recovered to me. If he thinks he can win the heart of Miss Yan Feixia, then he's a complete moron."

Yang Qi heard every single word that people were saying, but all it provoked was a slight smile. Back when he had been little more than a weakling, if he had heard people saying things like that he would have been incensed. But right now, he didn't really take it to heart. After all, he was on a higher level than these people now.

All of a sudden, a young man with a folding fan called out in a loud voice. "Well, what have we here? If it isn't Yang Qi! I heard your martial arts were crippled, and then recovered. Come come. Let me take a look at you! You're here alone? No servants? Seems the Yang Clan really is completely bankrupt. Well, don't worry. You can come over to the Chen Clan and sell yourself into slavery. That way you'll at least have enough to eat."

This was one of the young elites from the Chen Clan, Chen Qing. [1] His cultivation base was more or less the same level as Yang Qi's had been not too long ago, and he was about the same age. From the look of it, he had recently made an energy arts breakthrough.

He waved his fan gently, and a whirlwind sprang up, causing all of the dirt and pebbles within a hundred paces to turn into a tornado that bore down on Yang Qi.

This was Strength of the Tornado, and Chen Qing was clearly using it in the hopes of cutting Yang Qi down a few notches right off the bat.

Tornado energy arts were a consummate skill of the Chen Clan, and were capable of sweeping objects as large as millstones into their winds. They were definitely nothing to look down on. For a while, Chen Qing had been in the Energy Refinement level, but now he had broken through into Energy Eruption. The fact that he was at this banquet indicated that his clan was grooming him for future glory.

Considering that the Yang Clan and the Chen Clan had never really gotten along, a fact that was public knowledge, it was no surprise to anyone to see events playing out this way.

The human-sized tornado was upon Yang Qi in the blink of an eye, and the rubble inside of it made a loud buzzing noise. Anyone who got hit by that tornado would surely end up pock-faced and disfigured afterward.

Everyone looked on, chuckling at Yang Qi.

In response, Yang Qi reached out casually, sending some true energy exploding out which immediately crushed the tornado into complete silence.

Then he waved his hand again.

BANG!

Advertisements

A palm of true energy sailed out, roughly the size of a water jug, that moved as fast as a meteor toward Chen Qing.

BAMMMM!!

Before Chen Qing could react, it slammed into him, shredding to pieces his fan, clothing, jade pendants, and even the armor he had under his clothing. Buck naked, he tumbled backward through the air.

Along with him flew his sedan chair, as well as the eight guards he had with him. None of them could escape, and were soon coughing up masses of blood.

1. Chen Qing: Chen is a common surname. Qing means "green, blue, youth, young"

Sage Monarch

With a simple swipe of his hand, Yang Qi sent Chen Qing and his retinue flying. Chen Qing, one of the elite young ones of the Chen Clan, an outstanding and respected individual, had been easily vanquished. Even his sedan chair was destroyed.

Yang Qi remained standing in place, where he dusted his shoulders off and said, "How dare you talk smack to me, you trash. The Chen Clan calls scum like you a young elite? You seem completely useless to me."

In this moment, Yang Qi was the epitome of strength and dominance.

The Yang Clan had been in sore straits for days now. Because of their weakened state, many other forces in Yanhaven had done everything they could to hit them when they were still down. As a result, the work of Yang Yunchong and Yang Hualong had been made much more difficult.

Therefore, Yang Qi had intentionally showed overbearing dominance and strength as soon as he could, in order to make sure everyone in Yanhaven knew that the Yang Clan still had life left in them, and were a force to be reckoned with.

He was fully confident that word of what had happened today would spread throughout the city like wildfire. The Yang Clan's business affairs would also be affected positively because of it.

As would be expected, everyone else in the area was shocked.

"Defeated? Chen Qing was actually beaten by a single move? Was that even a full move, or just half a move? How could Yang Qi's true energy be so strong? What level of cultivation base does he actually have? The ability to injure people from a distance comes only after reaching the fifth phase."

"Yeah, I wasn't able to see the level of his cultivation base either. All he did was wave his hand, and then something like a palm flew out. And look what happened to Chen Qing and his retinue. The Chen Clan isn't going to just let this slide. They didn't just send Chen Qing here today, right?"

"Well, I say we just do like the famous saying.Sit on the mountaintop and watch the tigers fight, then reap the spoils when they tire out. It seems Yang Qi didn't just recover, he actually made some progress with his martial arts."

Advertisements

Although all of the young elites present were shocked, they continued to watch with serious expressions on their faces. They could now tell that Yang Qi was a formidable opponent, and knew they could benefit by closely watching his conflict with the Chen Clan.

As some of the Chen Clan servants were trying to help Chen Qing to his feet, other experts from the clan were turning furious gazes onto Yang Qi.

A moment later, a young man of about twenty-five years of age strode out into the open, causing everyone in the area to feel their breath stifled because of his mere presence.

"What's going on here?" he said, sounding openly aggressive. "What gall you have, Yang Qi! This is a gathering organized by the city magistrate's mansion! How dare you cause trouble by fighting so ruthlessly here! That's an insult to the dignity of the city magistrate, and is definitely worthy of punishment!"

This young man was even more famous than Chen Qing.

"That's their number one elite, Chen Miejin. Supposedly, he's been in love with the martial arts since he was a child, and has long since been declared a genius in terms of his potential and talents. From what I've heard, he never got married, and has no children. Supposedly, he swore not to marry until he got to the Master of Energy level. Considering that he's already in the seventh phase of energy arts, he's pretty much on the same level as Yang Honglie from the Yang Clan." [1]

Chen Miejin seemed like a mighty mountain or a deep well, his words incisive, and his demeanor the type that brooked no challenges.

As he spoke, he wore a slight smile, and yet his eyes flickered with killing intent, and his tone was openly aggressive. That was especially true considering how he tried to use the city magistrate as a threat.

"Intentionally causing trouble?" Yang Qi said calmly. "This Chen Qing tried to harm me with his energy arts, and all I did was fight back. If anyone is causing trouble, it's your clan."

Chen Miejin's smile faded, to be replaced by icy coldness. At the same time, his energy began to surge. "Young Chen Qing did nothing but offer you a greeting. Then you went crazy and hurt him with a sneak attack! However, we're here at the city magistrate's mansion for a banquet. Why don't we wait until we're in City Magistrate Yan's presence before we offer each other fighting tips? Just kowtow and give our Chen Clan a gift of apology, say, a thousand energy convergence pills. Then I'll forgive you."

When the young elites present heard that, they immediately began to talk amongst themselves.

"Oh boy! He wants him to kowtow in apology and offer a thousand energy convergence pills. This is going to cause a big grudge between the Yang Clan and the Chen Clan! Everybody knows that the Yang Clan has gone completely broke. They don't even have enough energy convergence pills to pay their servants and guards."

"That's right. The other day I saw some rice and meat shipments going to the Yang Clan. Everybody knows that food like that is for poor people. Rich clans like us subsist on energy convergence pills. If they can't afford energy convergence pills, they're definitely done for. Pretty soon, even their servants are going to abandon them. After all, the main reason people work for the rich clans is to get energy convergence pills."

"The Chen Clan is being really insulting and aggressive toward them. But then again, the Yang Clan is really in a bad position now, making it the perfect time to kick them while they're down."

"What do you say?" Chen Miejin said, clasping his hands behind his back. Although he looked very calm, his eyes burned with killing intent. "If you don't kowtow in apology, then I'll just cripple your energy arts for the second time in your life. Then we can see if that aunt of yours at the Demi-Immortal Institute will have more spirit medicine to help you out with."

"Cripple my energy arts?" Yang Qi laughed. "Sure. Why don't you give it a shot? In fact, not just you. Why don't you ask your clan lord Chen Dalei to try as well? Except that he'll fail."

Clan Lord Chen Dalei was in the peak of the Energy Incarnation level, and was incredibly famous. He had held his position as clan lord for roughly thirty years now. However, what Yang Qi had just said was indeed true. After defeating the white ape in battle, his cultivation base had reached the point where only those in the Master of Energy level were a threat to him. [2]

Of course, everyone else took his words to be the ravings of a lunatic. Even if he were more of an elite than he was, there was no way he could take on someone so powerful. He was just blatantly insulting the clan lord, as well as all of the other Chen Clan experts present.

Words like his were enough to cause a major conflict to break out between the Chen and Yang Clans.

Everyone from the Chen Clan immediately broke out into loud cursing and swearing.

"Dammit!"

"Cripple him! Kill him! He's obviously tired of living!"

"What humiliation! How dare he insult our clan lord like that! Nobody alive could take such disrespect standing. We should have expected this from the Yang Clan. Yang Zhan's an animal, and so is his son."

"Hmm?" Yang Qi's eyes glittered, and thunderous cracking sounds could be heard from his tendons and bones. Sweeping his gaze across the people from the Chen Clan, he said, "Who was it? Who was talking nonsense just now? Who insulted my father? Step forward immediately and get on your knees. Otherwise I'll turn you into a clan of corpses. Are the young ones in the Chen Clan all tired of living?"

"You!" Chen Miejin blurted, almost incapable of speaking. Face turning even more sinister and icy, he said, "Since you clearly want to die, Yang Qi, I'll accommodate you! Dragon-Tiger Tornado!"

Instantly, a tornado sprang up behind him, filled with images of wind tigers and dragons. Seemingly surging with the power of those beasts, he chopped his hand out in front of him.

Whizz!

In the blink of an eye, a wave of energy was right in front of Yang Qi.

Stretched behind it was shattered air and broken ground, as if some enormous hammer were tearing through the area. If such energy smashed into a human, it would likely rip them to pieces.

A moment later, it hit, and yet did not rip Yang Qi into pieces, or even crush his bones. Instead, it seemed to hit some sort of bell, causing a sonorous boom to echo out. As for Yang Qi, he didn't even move.

"Golden Bell Rampart?" Chen Miejin blurted in shock.

Before he could do anything else, Yang Qi was right in front of him, moving so quickly that Chen Miejin had no way to even react.

Chen Miejin's defensive true energy shattered, and blood sprayed out of his mouth as he was flung backward. Even as Yang Qi's Golden Bell Rampart faded away, he placed his foot right on top of Chen Miejin's abdomen, where his dantian region and sea of energy lay.

"How could this be happening? I'm in the seventh phase…." Chen Miejin struggled to free himself, but it did no good. Yang Qi's foot was like that of a mammoth's, and made it impossible for him to move.

"What's so special about the seventh phase?" Yang Qi said coldly. "Like I said, Clan Lord Chen Dalei wouldn't be able to hurt me, let alone you. You Chen Clan people insulted me first. Didn't you want to cripple my energy arts? Well, I'll return the favor. I'll destroy your sea of energy and make sure you live the rest of your life as a commoner."

And then, as everyone looked on, he lifted his foot up as if he were preparing to smash it down onto Chen Miejin.

If he really did that, he would cripple Chen Miejin's martial arts forever.

"Stay your hand!" someone shouted in a powerful voice. A moment later, a burly figure appeared, clad in a suit of armor. He looked like a devil-ghost of battle, and was none other than the sergeant major of the city magistrate's guard, Luo Hun. [3]

It was Luo Hun who had crippled Yang Qi's sea of energy, and were it not for the bolt of lightning, Yang Qi would have been forced to live his life as a commoner, completely disgraced.

Luo Hun's energy arts and cultivation base were among the highest in Yanhaven; he was even stronger than some of the clan lords. He also had a nickname: the Armored Devil-Ghost.

The reason for that was, no matter what season it was, spring, autumn, winter, or summer, he always wore his cold-forged iron armor. He would take it off when bathing, but other than that, never, not even when he slept. Apparently, he cultivated some sort of remarkable ability that made him as ferocious as a devil-ghost.

Yang Qi had noticed earlier that he was watching the conflict with him and the Chen Clan.

But only in the most critical of moments did he finally intervene.

However, in response to Luo Hun's words, Yang Qi chuckled coldly, and stomped his foot down. Apparently, he wanted Luo Hun to simply look on as he crippled Chen Miejin's sea of energy, unable to do anything to stop it from happening.

Advertisements

"What nerve you have!" Luo Hun shouted, his face falling at the realization that Yang Qi was going to ignore his command. At that point, Luo Hun's sword-like eyebrows shot up, and his eyes turned as cold as ice. Anyone who crossed paths with that gaze would be immediately compelled to move out of the way lest they suffer agonizing pain. It was an ability that came with the Energy Incarnation level, Gaze Barrage.

He also let out a powerful roar, causing a screaming wind to rush out, like a beast backed by floodwaters as it closed in rapidly on Yang Qi.

1. Chen Miejin: Mie means "extinguish, exterminate" and Jin means "to use up, to exhaust, to end, to finish, to terminate"

2. Chen Dalei: Da means "big, great" and Lei means "thunder, lightning"

3. In Chinese it's common to combine the characters for words of mythological beings together. If you want more info, you can check out this YouTube video of mine where I talk about the characters for immortal, demon, god, devil, ghost. For example, immortal-godis just immortal anddevil-ghostis just devil, etc. However, in this novel, there are actually distinctions between some of the different character combinations. When they come up, I'm going to translate them literally. So you will see devil-ghosts, demon-gods, etc. Oftentimes the author will have a play on words associated with that particular type of entity, so I feel it's important to get both Chinese characters into the translation. For example, with the devil-ghosts, they are supposed to be both devils and ghosts.

Sage Monarch

Luo Hun had been coldly looking on for the entire time.

He had long since been informed that Yang Qi's energy arts had recovered, but could never have guessed that he would be so strong he could vanquish Chen Miejin in the blink of an eye.

And considering that Yang Qi was about to cripple Chen Miejin, he had no choice but to intervene.

Nobody could possibly have anticipated that Yang Qi would simply ignore his command, and continue with his attack. It was an outright provocation to Luo Hun, something he couldn't just ignore.

And so, he resorted to a ruthless move.

Energy surged as he unleashed a thunderously powerful attack from hundreds of paces away.

The explosive true energy became a huge vortex, bearing down on Yang Qi and threatening to drag him inside of it.

"Whale Consumes the Sea!"

Just barely visible within the massive vortex was an enormous whale, its mouth gaping as though to swallow up an entire sea.

This move was part of the martial ability that had earned Luo Hun his fame, his Furious Whale Energy Art. It was a boundlessly powerful technique that would summon the projection of an enormous whale, something so majestic that no opponent could possibly stand up to it.

Advertisements

This move was so strong that eighth phase experts would have trouble dealing with it, so there was little need to even mention people in the seventh phase.

And yet, Yang Qi didn't even move a muscle in response.

Suddenly, six long arms of true energy sprang into being behind him, each of them fully nine meters long, crab-like in appearance, and domineering to the extreme, pulsing with the aura of a king.

Rumbling sounds echoed out as the Invincible King's Fist slammed into the mouth of the enormous whale.

BAM!

Unexpectedly, the whale actually was incapable of consuming Yang Qi's true energy, and was shattered to pieces by the six arms.

A shockwave of true energy raged outward in all directions, causing screaming winds to batter at the people in the area, who had no choice other than to step backward pace by pace.

"You dare to try to stop me?" Yang Qi growled as the winds battered at him. "When I want to cripple someone, I cripple them, no matter what anyone else tells me to do. The Chen Clan colluded with the House of Shadowblight to harm my eldest brother and second brother. And therefore, I'll cripple one of their young ones! Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth!"

As his words continued to float through the air, he mercilessly stomped down with his foot, sending a blast of energy directly into Chen Miejin's dantian region and sea of energy.

Chen Miejin screamed, energy streaming out of him as he deflated almost like a balloon, blood oozing out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

"You… you really destroyed my sea of energy!?" he cried. "I'm gonna kill you…."

To him, the despair of having his sea of energy destroyed was worse than being killed.

After all, in the Rich-Lush Continent, people who could not practice martial arts or cultivation were looked down upon in all regards. And to be treated with such coldness was definitely worse than death in many ways.

Chen Miejin was widely regarded as a genius in the Chen Clan, and had been the top contender to become the next clan lord. But now he was a cripple, more useless than the lowest-ranked servant.

"Kill me?" Yang Qi said, pulling his foot back. "You can't cultivate energy arts now, and will soon be the subject of endless scorn and ridicule. And I'll be there to watch it all happen.

"And then there's the rest of you…." He turned to look at some of the other elite young ones and servants from the Chen Clan. "Weren't you just cursing the Yang Clan too? I think I should probably cripple all of your energy arts."

With that, he jabbed his finger in their direction one by one.

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh…!

With each jab of his finger, a spiral of energy shot out, almost like a bullet, slamming into the abdomens of each individual he targeted.

Instantly, the entire group who had cursed him sagged visibly as their seas of energy were destroyed, and their martial arts crippled.

These people had called Yang Zhan and Yang Qi animals, which was something he couldn't possibly ignore. Therefore, he put them in the position of being alive, and yet yearning for death.

For Yang Qi to use such vicious tactics indicated that the Yang and Chen Clans would soon be going to war. And yet, he wasn't too worried about that. The Chen Clan had no experts in the Master of Energy level, so even if they sent more people to try to fight him, he could stop them.

Furthermore, his father was in the middle of advancing to the Master of Energy level.

To top it all off, clues had come in recently indicating that the situation with his eldest brother and second brother was all because of the Chen Clan working together with the House of Shadowblight.

"You beast!" Luo Hun shouted, flying toward him and simultaneously summoning numerous bursts of energy that he locked down onto Yang Qi's position, as if he planned to launch an attack at any moment. Never in his wildest dreams could he have guessed that Yang Qi would be strong enough to dispel his Furious Whale Energy Art.

His blood was surging through his veins, and his desire to do battle pulsed. He almost couldn't hold back from starting a big fight with the cocky Yang Qi right then and there, taking his head as a way of warning others not to follow his bad example.

Others might fear the Yang Clan, but he didn't. Furthermore, he knew that City Magistrate Yan Gufeng viewed the Yang Clan as being a thorn in his side, and planned to eliminate them eventually.

At this point, a vicious thought rose up within Luo Hun. 'Perfect. This little punk Yang Qi actually crippled people right at the front gate of the city magistrate's mansion. It's the perfect excuse to simply kill him.'

However, that was when he heard someone speaking. It was none other than Yang Qi, who had compressed his voice into a line that went directly into his ears.

"I bet you're thinking of trying to kill me, aren't you Luo Hun? But do you really have what it takes to beat me? If you want to fight, we can find the time. But not now; I want to give Miss Yan Feixia a bit of face. Don't worry. You crippled my martial arts not too long ago, and I'm going to get my revenge sooner or later."

"It only took you less than two weeks to rise all the way to the seventh phase?" Luo Hun replied. "In that case, there's no need to wait until later. I'm going to arrest and execute you this very day!"

As far as Luo Hun was concerned, if Yang Qi was allowed to continue to grow and advance, then it was impossible to say how powerful he would be in half a year. Just now, a completely unexpected event occurred: his whale was defeated.

That attack was something that only an eighth phase expert with remarkable skill and ability could have defeated. And yet, he was still confident that, if he paid the price, he could still cut Yang Qi down.

"Alright, Luo Hun. Bring it on. Let's see if the Armored Devil-Ghost can live up to his reputation!"

Energy surged to the heavens as the two of them faced off and prepared to fight.

"Am I seeing things? Did Yang Qi just challenge Armored Devil-Ghost Luo Hun to a fight? Is he looking to get killed? Luo Hun is more terrifying than most clan lords!"

"Did you see that? Yang Qi just neutralized one of Luo Hun's attacks! That's something that only clan lords could do! He's only eighteen years old, and yet has energy arts that profound?"

"His martial arts were crippled! Even if he recovered, he shouldn't be able to do things this incredible, should he? Maybe he was possessed by some consummate master!"

"The Chen Clan suffered severe losses just now! Their prodigy Chen Miejin was crippled, along with several other young ones. The quintessence of their younger generation has been severely damaged! However, if the Yang Clan really goes to war with the Chen Clan, then they're definitely going to make them pay the price in blood. Yanhaven is going to have one less aristocratic clan pretty soon!"

The people from the other clans were shocked, but at the same time, were interested to see how things would play out. On the other hand, they were all coming to realize that Yang Qi was definitively stealing the limelight.

Not a single one of these elite young ones could possibly fight him.

They all viewed Armored Devil-Ghost Luo Hun as being on the same level as a clan lord, and therefore, this was a fight they could not participate in.

Luo Hun stared at Yang Qi for about three breaths of time, then growled, "Alright, punk, if you get killed, you can only blame your own arrogance."

His suit of armor began to tremble, causing metallic rumbling sounds to echo out. Then, a sea suddenly sprang into being behind him.

It was composed of pure true energy, and was so realistic that it had waves on its surface, and even contained the call of sea birds. In the middle of that sea, a spray of water shot into the air as a huge whale broke the surface.

Anyone present who closed their eyes and listened to what was happening would think that they really were standing at the shore of a sea.

This manifestation was none other than the mysterious and enigmatic Mind Incarnation ability, which made it abundantly clear that Luo Hun was at the peak of the eighth phase, the Energy Incarnation level.

"I've long since cultivated a fragmented scripture, the Sea Emperor Sutra. Remember the name Furious Whale Energy Art. It will be a great honor for you to be killed and buried by this technique!"

And thus, Luo Hun prepared to unleash a completely extraordinary technique.

In response, Yang Qi simply looked at him calmly. After all, he had once faced the attack of a mighty white ape. Although Luo Hun's energy arts might be exquisite, in terms of true energy, he didn't even come close to that beast. And Yang Qi was currently so powerful that if he used his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth to the fullest, he could easily destroy the man's heart and blood vessels.

However, no matter what happened, he still wasn't willing to reveal his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth to anyone.

Without using it, it would be hard to kill Luo Hun. And even if he did kill him, he would then have to face the wrath of Yan Gufeng, who was a Master of Energy.

'Hmph. Either way, he's trying to kill me, so I can't just look on wide-eyed. He started this thing, so I'm going to end it. By killing him! If Yan Gufeng wants a war with the Yang Clan, then we'll give him war! If father and I fight him together, there's no reason to fear Yan Gufeng. And who knows, I might end up absorbing more of the power of the lightning mammoth during the fight, and awaken the sixth particle within me, or even the seventh. With even more megamammoth power, I would be so strong that I wouldn't need to fear a Master of Energy!"

By this point, Yang Qi was definitely ready to kill.

After cultivating the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, he had accepted the life force characteristics of godmammoths, making him bold and fierce, the type of individual that could crush hells.

Advertisements

Elephants were powerful and mighty leaders; even fierce tigers, the kings of almost all other types of beasts, would run in fear from them. If elephants were like that, then it was even less necessary to mention godmammoths, who could crush hells.

Just as they began fighting, and right before things got serious, a beam of sword energy suddenly shot forth, separating them. And then a young woman appeared, who was none other than Yan Feixia.

"What are you doing?" she said. "Fighting?"

Fearful of injuring her, Luo Hun pulled all of his energy back into himself. "Miss, what are you doing here?"

Expression frosty, Yan Feixia said, "I heard something was going on at the main gate and hurried over to see. Why are you fighting with Prince Yang Qi? Are you really trying to kill him?"

Sage Monarch

'What a pity,' Yang Qi thought. Now that Yan Feixia was here, he knew that nothing would come of the fight with Luo Hun.

Although, that was also a good thing. If he killed Luo Hun, it would arouse the wrath of the city magistrate, and might force the Yang Clan to go to war with the Yan Clan.

And it went without saying that the Yang Clan wasn't truly ready for something like that. The city magistrate, and the Yan Clan itself, had spent generation upon generation building their power, and the Yang Clan wasn't even close to being able to assemble a force to reckon with them. Yang Zhan's bloodline was just not in the position to win a victory against the Yan Clan.

Yang Qi immediately began to come up with other plans. 'Just wait until I advance my cultivation base a bit more. When I'm in the Energy Incarnation level, there will be nothing to worry about. I'll definitely be able to destroy any opponent, even a Master of Energy. For now, the best thing is to keep things civil with the Yan Clan. Considering I saved Yan Feixia, the city magistrate probably won't do anything against the Yang Clan for the time being.'

Ever since he started cultivating the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, he had started thinking things through more clearly, and being more flexible.

"Miss, allow me to explain," Luo Hun began, bowing his head. "Yang Qi mortally crippled a young one from another aristocratic clan. It's a stain on the reputation of Yanhaven as a whole, and therefore, I took it upon myself to teach him a lesson."

Yan Feixia remained silent in thought for a moment, then said, "Very well. The matter is over now. You're dismissed, Luo Hun. This is an issue between the Chen and Yang Clans, so there's no need for the city magistrate's mansion to get involved. Understand?"

"Yes, Miss," Luo Hun said. He instantly understood what she was thinking. If the Yang and Chen Clans fought amongst themselves, they would grow weaker, which would make the Yan Clan's control over Yanhaven grow even stronger.

'Well, she's definitely a disciple of the esteemed True Dragon Institute,' Yang Qi thought, nodding in admiration. Going forward, he would definitely not make the mistake of underestimating Yan Feixia.

Although he had saved her life, clan interests superseded that, both for the Yan Clan and the Yang Clan. It was only normal that she would do everything she could to further the interests of her family. Clearly, disciples of the venerable True Dragon Institute were not the type to be taken lightly.

Advertisements

Obviously, the fact that Yang Qi had crippled some of the elite young ones of the Chen Clan would quickly be reported back, and most likely, open conflict would erupt between the two clans on this very day.

"Very well, everyone," Yan Feixia said. "The fact that conflict has erupted on the day of our banquet seems to indicate the city magistrate's mansion is not being a good host. Please, let's go in." Waving her hand, she said, "Luo Hun, escort these Chen Clan members back to their headquarters."

"Yes, ma'am." Luo Hun gave a meaningful look to Yang Qi, eyes flickering with a bloodthirsty light as he licked his lips. Then he led a group of city guards over to escort the people from the Chen Clan away.

All of the other elite young ones entered the mansion.

Yan Feixia waited for Yang Qi, and then began to walk by his side, "Brother Yang, your cultivation base continues to advance without letup. Congratulations!"

Although she didn't show it, she was actually very surprised by what had played out. Although it had been remarkable that the sixth phase Yang Qi had defeated the seventh phase black-garbed man, the fact that he then went on to stand up to the eighth phase Luo Hun further went to show how much he had advanced. It seemed likely to her that someone in the Lifeseizing level must be giving him help.

In response to her congratulations, Yang Qi waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, it's nothing special. What's so amazing about an occasional breakthrough? Miss Yan, did you ever uncover the truth about who was behind the incident with the House of Shadowblight? As it turns out, some members of my Yang Clan were also set upon by them. Apparently, they're in league with the Chen Clan, which makes me wonder if they plan to remove the Yan Clan from a leadership position in Yanhaven."

"The House of Shadowblight? In league with the Chen Clan? Are you sure about that?" Yan Feixia's eyes glittered for a moment, then went back to normal. Nodding, she continued, "Well, I'll definitely report the matter to my father for further investigation. After all, he oversees matters in Yanhaven, not me. I'll be returning to the True Dragon Institute soon to continue my studies."

'This Yan Feixia is no simple girl,' Yang Qi thought, a faint smile playing out on his face. Even if the Chen Clan was working with the House of Shadowblight, the Yan Clan and the city magistrate's mansion probably wouldn't do anything about it. They would wait until the Chen and Yang Clans fought it out. When the smoke cleared, the Yan Clan would be perfectly justified in picking up the pieces and absorbing the wealth and manpower of both clans.

Right now, many city magistrates throughout the Rich-Lush Continent were trying to establish their own nations. For example, Yundale-by-the-Sea, which had become the State of Yun. Obviously, Yang Qi wondered whether Yan Gufeng had similar plans. If Yanhaven became the State of Yan, then the Yan Clan would be its royal house.

Smiling, he put aside the matter of the Chen Clan.

The talented young ones from the other aristocratic clans noticed that Yang Qi and Yan Feixia were chatting like old friends. That, coupled with the show of might he had just put on, further reinforced the fact that they were likely going to play supporting roles during the banquet, and little more. Not only did it cause them to sigh inwardly, but considering how ambitious most of them were, it caused their jealousy of Yang Qi to grow stronger.

A short time later, they arrived at the banquet hall, which was already buzzing with activity. Beautiful women were everywhere performing songs and dances, and exquisite delicacies were being served.

The ultimate ruler of Yanhaven, Yan Gufeng, sat tall and straight at the front of the chamber, looking like an emperor inspecting his court officials as the elite young ones entered.

Whoever his gaze touched, no matter how much of an arrogant genius they were, would be forced to bow their head meekly.

Seeing such reactions caused Yan Gufeng to nod in satisfaction. But then he caught sight of Yang Qi, and his sharp gaze stabbed into him in an attempt to analyze how his true energy flowed.

Shivering, Yang Qi looked up, and met Yan Gufeng's gaze.

In the blink of an eye, it felt as though the brilliance of the sun and the moon were coursing painfully through his meridians, causing immense pressure to weigh down on him, both psychological and from energy arts.

"Concealed by hell, as cryptic as the Yellow Springs…." he murmured to himself.

The Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth instantly went to work, ensuring that all Yan Gufeng saw inside of Yang Qi was a blank emptiness. He had absolutely no way of locking down onto the true energy flowing inside him.

"Hmph!"

Yang Qi suddenly heard an explosive snort in his head, causing his mind to tremble. It was Yan Gufeng, and the outright hostility in the sound could not have been more obvious.

Yang Qi could tell that his show of strength outside the gate had provoked a rancorous response from Yan Gufeng.

However, he pretended not to notice, and simply let Yan Gufeng stare at him. He even plastered a carefree smile onto his face.

A moment passed, and then Yan Gufeng looked away. Looking around at all the elite young ones, he waved his hand in grand fashion. "Greetings, everyone."

"Greetings, exalted City Magistrate…." they responded in unison.

All of the young ones could sense the power rippling off of him, the power of ninth phase energy arts, that of a Master of Energy.

Every word and action on his part could influence the hearts and minds of others, and the mere wave of his hand made it clear that he was a leader of men, an expert who had practiced cultivation to the pinnacle of the Energy Arts level.

'The Master of Energy level is incredible,' Yang Qi thought. 'But after that is the Lifeseizing level. I wonder how terrifying that is? Supposedly there are even higher levels past Lifeseizing. I wonder what they're like?' In that moment in which he had experienced Yan Gufeng's gaze, and felt his hostility, he had also been able to sense how profound his energy arts and cultivation base were.

Yang Qi could defeat eighth phase experts in battle. But as for the ninth phase, the Master of Energy level, their profundity was as deep as the sea. They were on a completely different level than the eighth phase.

They were the true grandmasters of energy arts.

"This banquet is being thrown so that I can personally assess the prodigies of Yanhaven. There's no reason for any of you to hold back in the competition to come." As Yan Gufeng looked out at the crowd, his eyes once again turned to Yang Qi. By this point, there was no way he didn't realize how outstanding Yang Qi was, and that none of the other elite young ones were a match for him.

Earlier, he had been looking forward to the martial arts competition. But now, all of that interest had faded away.

"Feixia, I have some matters to attend to. You preside over the banquet." With that, Yan Gufeng stood and walked out.

The assembled elites all rose to their feet. "Take care, City Magistrate."

Each and every one of them was feeling very blank inside. Before the banquet even began, Yang Qi stole all the thunder. There could be no more depressing thing in life than to be relegated to a supporting role.

Some of the more dispirited elites only sat around for a few minutes before saying farewell to Yan Feixia and leaving.

Yang Qi sat there, watching coldly.

Yan Feixia didn't have much of a reaction either. After one young elite after another left, the mood in the banquet hall was less than cheerful.

At one point, Yan Feixia suddenly raised her drinking vessel to Yang Qi in a toast. "Brother Yang Qi, it looks like you really stole the spotlight. By leaving, all of the other young elites in Yanhaven are all admitting that they can't fight you. Before long, you'll definitely be known as the top prodigy in Yanhaven."

"Yanhaven's a tiny place," he replied, "so that's not saying much. I'm just a frog in a well who has never seen the wider world. Miss Yan, you study at the True Dragon Institute, one of the top places of learning in all of the Rich-Lush Continent. What types of geniuses have you seen there? Perhaps you could help me to understand the world a bit better."

Yang Qi was rejecting her flattery, but at the same time, probing for information.

"Hm. Well, there are some geniuses of your level at the True Dragon Institute. After all, we produce spectacular individuals, the type who can dominate the world and everyone in it. If you have a chance, Brother Yang Qi, you should go there and see if they have a spot for you."

It was impossible for Yan Feixia to cover up the pride she felt regarding the True Dragon Institute, which was typical among the students from there.

Just when Yang Qi was about to ask some more questions about the place, an old man rushed in, who was none other than the Yang Clan's steward.

Advertisements

"Third Young Master, something bad has happened. The Chen Clan has put together an army of experts and are heading toward the Yang Clan mansion this very moment. First Young Master and Second Young Master aren't going to be able to hold them off. Your father is in a critical juncture of cultivation. You need to go back to coordinate the defense!"

"What?" Yang Qi said, rising to his feet. "The Chen Clan made their move already? They sure take clan affairs seriously." Clasping hands toward Yan Feixia, he said, "There's a situation with my clan, so I'm afraid I can't accompany you any longer. I'll take my leave now."

"Good luck, Brother Yang," Yan Feixia said, a faint smile playing out across her face.

SWISH!

Yang Qi vanished.

Sage Monarch

"Such speed," Yan Feixia murmured as Yang Qi vanished without a trace. A moment later, a sonic boom could be heard off in the distance as he raced back toward his clan, towing the clan steward along with him. She was also in the seventh phase, with a deep understanding of energy. Even more importantly, she was a disciple of the True Dragon Institute, placing her far beyond just about everyone else in Yanhaven. And yet, Yang Qi's incredible speed defied even her understanding of energy arts.

As far as she knew, it wasn't possible for someone in the same level as herself to have such powerful energy, including the top geniuses in the True Dragon Institute.

'No wonder father showed such hostility toward him today. For a genius like that to rise up in another clan is a big threat to the Yan Clan. But then again, I owe Yang Qi for saving my life. If he and father end up as enemies, it's going to put me in a really bad position.'

Sighing, she continued to preside over the young ones who remained at the banquet.

Unfortunately, as soon as Yang Qi left, the rest of the young elites in attendance rapidly bid farewell. The fact that the Yang and Chen clans were going to war meant that great changes would be coming to Yanhaven. And who wanted to be stuck in a banquet when things like that were happening? They wanted to watch the fireworks!

Before long, the hall was completely empty.

Mood sinking, Yan Feixia headed toward the depths of the mansion to find her father and update him about the situation.

Meanwhile, Yang Qi had a firm grip on the clan steward as he raced back to the mansion. He was a blur that passed through dozens of streets and intersections, before eventually arriving outside of the clan.

Even from a distance, he could sense wildly murderous auras coming from the square outside the mansion, which was a sprawling location that could house thousands of people.

Troops were arrayed throughout the square, all of them clad in armor. Most of them were in the fourth phase, although the captains of some of the squads were in the fifth phase.

Advertisements

Altogether, there were over a thousand men present.

Some wielded bows or crossbows, others had spears or pikes. From the look of it, this small army was preparing to march on the Yang Clan mansion and slaughter everyone inside.

There was no doubt as to who these people were; they were the private army of the Chen Clan, a formidable fighting force.

Virtually all of the rich clans in the Rich-Lush Continent kept private armies like this. Many had armies that numbered in the thousands, and some even had forces tens of thousands strong.

Such armies protected the clan, and in times of chaos, could be used for campaigning purposes.

The Chen Clan had obviously deployed their private army to the main gate of the Yang Clan, and if the Yang Clan didn't play their cards exactly right, they would be invaded and wiped off the map.

Of course, it wasn't as if the Yang Clan made an easy target. Bugle horns could be heard sounding out inside the mansion, whereupon the main gate opened, and the Yang Clan's own private army emerged. They were also armed with bows and crossbows, as well as enormous tower shields. They made a particularly impressive sight.

The Yang Clan's army was by no means small; they also had over a thousand men, broad-shouldered as bears and as tough-looking as lions.

The sight of them caused the Chen Clan fighters to frown.

It had only been a short time since the Latent Dragon Pill incident, and everyone had heard about it. And many people had noticed that the Yang Clan had been purchasing large quantities of grain, meat, and other foods which were considered low-quality.

In the Rich-Lush Continent, such foodstuffs were the thing of poor folk; rich and powerful clans used energy convergence pills for nourishment.

If the Yang Clan kept feeding their army things like grain and meat, then their fighting ability would quickly decline, and many of the discouraged soldiers would likely begin to defect.

Aware of this fact, the Chen Clan decided to make their move.

However, it was to their surprise that the Yang Clan's army didn't seem weak at all. In fact, they actually looked stronger than they had in the past. They didn't look like they had been eating grain and meat at all.

Of course, the truth was that the wealth Yang Qi had brought back had helped the clan to get through their moment of crisis.

Many of the Chen Clan's energy arts experts were mixed within the soldiers. Shockingly, one of them was the clan lord himself, Chen Dalei, who stood there, energy swirling, and rage pulsing.

On the other side, leading the Yang Clan's army, were the two brothers Yang Yunchong and Yang Hualong, whose faces were somberly paled as they faced the experts from the Chen Clan.

Yang Zhan was still in seclusion, and the two brothers were clearly facing a very tough situation.

"Yang Yunchong, Yang Hualong," Chen Dalei said in a thunderous voice. "What are you two kids doing here? Tell Yang Zhan to get out here right now. I want to ask him why his son crippled so many people from my clan!" His voice was so loud that many of the roof tiles in the Yang Clan mansion cracked and crumbled.

"Clan Lord Chen, please, there's no need to get so angry," Yang Yunchong said. "As the old saying goes,harmony is the most prized possession….We're still unsure of exactly what happened, and why. Is there really a need to mobilize troops and sow chaos in Yanhaven?"

"Impudence! What gives you the right to talk to a clan lord like that? Enough stalling, you dirty little swine. I've heard enough. Yang Zhan is in seclusion, trying to break into the Master of Energy level. And if he succeeds, the first thing he'll do is exterminate our Chen Clan. Why wait around when I could take the initiative?"

A particularly tall and strapping elder from the Chen Clan stepped forward. "That's right!" he said loudly. "Chen Dalei, we have the backing of the House of Shadowblight. What do we have to be afraid of? Don't tell me the Yang Clan is going to make a comeback using their subsidiary branches?"

Also mixed within the Chen Clan forces were a few inconspicuous black-robed men, who had vicious-looking eyes. It was at this moment that one of them spoke in a devilish voice that tugged at the psyches of everyone who heard him.

"Some of the subsidiary branches will be quite happy to see the direct bloodline of the Yang Clan wiped out. Furthermore, our House of Shadowblight has long since decided that we need a representative in Yanhaven. After the Yang Clan is gone, we will exterminate the Yan Clan, and then Yanhaven can become the State of Chen!"

Clan Lord Chen Dalei's expression flickered dramatically. He had been hesitating earlier, but the words of the black-robed man had caused him to make up his mind. "Excellent. First let's kill these two dirty swine. There is no reconciling the grudge between our two clans. Men, the time has come! Attack!"

Instantly, the thousand-men army from the Chen Clan cocked crossbows and pulled back bowstrings.Twang. Twang. Twang!The air filled with a locust-swarm of arrows heading directly toward the Yang Clan's army.

"Shield wall!" Yang Yunchong shouted, his eyes bloodshot. "Now, now, NOW!"

Yang Hualong's eyes were equally bloodshot. Both brothers circulated their energy and joined the soldiers in thrusting their shields out to meet the hail of arrows.

Thudding sounds echoed out as arrows slammed into the metal shields, denting and bending them in numerous locations.

"You two little swine!" Chen Dalei shouted.Whoosh. Whoosh…!Suddenly, two spears materialized in front of him, which began to rotate rapidly as they shot toward Yang Yunchong and Yang Hualong.

Wham! Bam!

The two spears slammed into the brothers' tower shields, unleashing a massive explosion of energy that sent the two brothers staggering backward.

A few of the soldiers in the Yang Clan's private army were experts in the sixth phase, who immediately rushed forward to assist them, throwing out palm strikes to halt the momentum of the spears.

"Maybe you can survive the first volley. But you won't survive fifteen!"

One of the Chen Clan's elders, a man named Chen Dalong, suddenly summoned a shining blade of light, which rapidly grew to a length of nine meters long. Then, it twisted and turned until it was a circular blade. [1]

"Balefire Chakram!"

The Balefire Chakram was a ranged weapon attack that could be used to kill one's opponent from a distance. And now it was flying toward Yang Yunchong and Yang Hualong.

However, that was when an angered shout echoed out from a nearby street corner. "Have a death wish?!"

A blur appeared, a person who was moving so quickly it was impossible to see his features. However, any arrows that hit his defensive energy arts were immediately cast to the side.

Not even the most powerful of projectile weapons seemed capable of hurting him in the least bit.

It was Yang Qi!

As he charged toward the scene, his energy arrived even before he did. An enormous palm appeared, which was none other than his True Energy Megahand. Without the slightest pause, he shot toward the Balefire Chakram with meteoric speed.

In the moment of contact, the Balefire Chakram shattered like an empty chicken egg.

"Who dares to make trouble at the main gate of my clan?"

Yang Qi raced onto the battlefield, leaving behind whistling sounds and a trail of broken bolts and arrows.

"Dirty swine!" Chen Dalei said through gritted teeth. "You've shown up just in time to watch your Yang Clan be exterminated."

Yang Qi snorted coldly. "Your Chen Clan worked with the House of Shadowblight to poison my eldest brother and second brother! Crippling a few people from your clan is fair and reasonable retribution!"

Some of the Chen Clan elders were in the seventh phase of energy arts. There were even a few in the eighth phase; clearly, they had no intention of leaving this fight unless their opponents were wiped out.

Even back when the Yang Clan had been at the height of power, it would have been difficult to deal with a force like this.

"You," Yang Qi said, singling out someone in the crowd. "And you, in the black clothes. Are you from the Chen Clan? Or from the House of Shadowblight?"

"Good guess, brat. We're from the House of Shadowblight. Drop to your knees and beg for your life, and we might spare you. Otherwise we'll turn everyone in your clan into blightzombies and blightpuppets. You'll all become the walking dead! I've had my eye on your father Yang Zhan, you know. He would make a great puppet. You're not going to escape, I can tell you that.Bwahahahahaha!"

The other black-garbed men from the House of Shadowblight joined in, mocking the Yang Clan in grating voices.

"Henceforth, there will be no Yang Clan in Yanhaven!"

"Hey, Yang Clan scum. Do you really dare to resist the House of Shadowblight? Give us what we want, even if it's your heads and your lives. If you fight back, we'll make you live a life worse than death."

Wild, arrogant laughter rang out from the mouths of the black-garbed men.

"Fine," Yang Qi said grimly. He had heard enough. "Neither the Chen Clan nor the House of Shadowblight have any right to exist in this world any longer." Without any warning, streams of true energy shot out of him, piercing through the air like flashing swords.

Advertisements

At the same time, all of the broken arrows and bolts on the battlefield suddenly floated up into the air and began to spiral into a flower-like shape. Then, ghost-like wailing could be heard as the arrows and bolts began to burn, sending a pungent smell out across the battlefield.

Hell Vortexes!

Secretly drawing on the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, Yang Qi sent the countless burning arrows and crossbow bolts shooting back toward the Chen Clan's army.

As that happened, he charged forward at top speed. Unexpectedly, he was taking on an army of elite enemies, all by himself.

1. Chen Dalong: Da means "big, great, grand" and Long means "dragon"

Sage Monarch

Yang Qi was in the mood to kill someone, and had no plans to hold back when dealing with the Chen Clan.

They were obviously working with the House of Shadowblight against the Yang Clan, which meant that the two clans had reached the point where they were as opposite as fire and water. There was no need for any pretense of cordiality.

The moment Yang Qi appeared, he drew up on his energy arts to send arrows and crossbow bolts flying out like a horde of locusts.

Of course, he secretly drew on true energy strengthened by his hell vortexes. Having just stepped into the seventh phase, if he propelled even a tiny pebble with the power of his hell vortexes, it could crush a mountain. Therefore, it was almost unnecessary to mention what a host of bolts and arrows could do when backed by the strength of five ancient megamammoths.

Pop! Smack!

Arrows peppered the shields and armor of the Chen Clan soldiers, and even with just the first volley, roughly fifty soldiers fell.

One of the captains in the Chen Clan army, a man in the sixth phase, tried to block an arrow with a palm strike. Unfortunately, the arrow pierced into his hand and shot up into his arm, shattering the bones, and unleashing such explosive energy that his meridians twisted painfully.

Shocked, the man let out an agonized shriek.

After all, that arrow had been backed by strength from hell, true energy bolstered by a devilish will. It almost seemed powerful enough to destroy one's soul and sea of consciousness.

"The monster…." Chen Dalei growled. The other experts of the Chen Clan looked around at the screaming victims toppling to the ground, and their eyes turned bloodshot.

Advertisements

Each and every soldier in this army had been painstakingly trained and given countless energy convergence pills. Each one who died was a huge loss, and reduced the clan army's usefulness as a threat to others. And just now, nearly fifty soldiers had been killed in one shot. The clan experts' hearts virtually dripped with blood at the sight of it.

"Attack!"

"Kill that little punk!"

"Gentlemen from the House of Shadowblight, attack! Use your poison arts! That kid must be killed!"

"Kill everyone in the Yang Clan! Don't even let the chickens or dogs escape with their lives."

"Kill them all! Even the animals!"

RUMMMBLE!

Led by the top experts in the Chen Clan, the army surged toward Yang Qi. In the very front was one of the elders, Chen Dahong, who was in the seventh phase. He wielded a ghostheaded greatsaber whose edge glistened with what was obviously hyper-toxic poison. Every swipe of that saber would release blasts of blade energy that was toxic to the extreme. [1]

"Ghost Toxin Saber Art!" Chen Dahong shouted as he closed in on Yang Qi. Eyes flashing ferociously, he swept his saber out in front of him. The glow of the blade light combined with the reflection of the burning sun in the sky stabbed painfully into Yang Qi's eyes.

That was a function of the Ghost Toxin Saber Art, which not only contained poison, but also used reflected light to harm the opponent's vision, and even induce hallucinations. At least, until the blade took off that person's head.

"Ghost-Built Barricade!"

The blade light rapidly circled around, cutting off all paths of escape for Yang Qi.

Yang Qi didn't seem to care at all about the blade light. Reaching out, he grabbed the ghostheaded greatsaber, which was about as tough as tofu as far as he was concerned.

"Die!" he growled. Tightening his grip, he bent the saber completely in half.

POP!

The power imparted through that simple act caused a massive plume of blood to spray out of Chen Dahong's mouth, accompanied by the sound of numerous bones in his body snapping.

Yang Qi took another step forward, simultaneously unleashing a palm strike.

It was actually one of the stances within the Invincible King's Fist,Triumph in Every Battle, which gave his palm the ferocity of a tiger's paw or a dragon's claw. His muscles rippled, and his true energy surged mightily. He was like a bubbling crucible in the depths of hell, filled with lava, terrifying to the extreme.

There was simply no way for Chen Dahong to dodge. The palm connected with his chest, and an agonized shriek escaped his lips. Everyone watching saw what looked like a giant palm made from true energy, smashing into him, crushing him into a pulp. He was dead!

"Dahong!" Chen Dalei shouted. Then, he, Chen Dalong, the more than ten seventh phase experts, as well as numerous eighth phase masters, all joined forces, pooling their energy together in an attack, creating something like a massive mountain. It was so terrifying that pebbles and rubble from the ground began to float up into the air and spin around it like a vortex.

Some of the limestone floor tiles even shattered and joined the vortex.

Yang Qi faced the conglomeration of energy without even moving an inch.

"Bring it on," he said. "All of you. Every single expert your Chen Clan has. Let's see how powerful you people really are." His own energy arts were fully activated, causing a devilish, ghostly aura to spring up around him, almost like a black waterfall. As a result, anything that got within ten paces of him dissolved into dust, including sabers, swords, spears, pikes, and arrows.

This was the power of five ancient megamammoths, converged together in one spot.

The combined attacks of all of the top experts of the Chen Clan were dispelled, vanished without a trace. Chen Dalei, as well as other eighth phase experts, all backed up several steps in shock.

"How is this even possible?"

"A combined attack by all of us should cause problems even for a Master of Energy. How could he possibly just block that mountain of energy?"

"Is he human? Even his father Yang Zhan would have been forced to flee from an attack like that, much less a hedonistic silkpants like him. There's no way his energy arts and cultivation base can be that incredible."

"We must be missing something here. He has to have some sort of defensive magical item."

The experts from the House of Shadowblight were also completely shocked. The fact that Yang Qi was so ferocious completely defied all of their expectations.

"Hundred Poisons Energy Art!" shouted one of the House of Shadowblight experts. A blur of motion appeared, a streak of afterimages that was none other than Humanoid True Energy. This was the same thing that Yang Zhan had done fairly recently, an expression of Mind Incarnation that indicated this man was at the very peak of the eighth phase, and was already able to unleash certain abilities of the ninth.

The "incarnation" aspect of the name came from the fact that actual incarnations would appear.

This particular Humanoid True Energy was so full of toxic energy that it would probably have been more appropriately called Humanoid Toxic Energy. As soon as it encountered a living opponent, it would explode, exterminating everything within a thousand paces, down to the grass and the roots. It would even defile the dirt with a corrosive miasma. This was one of the most unique and deadly techniques from the House of Shadowblight.

"Let's see how you block that, you dirty little swine!" The House of Shadowblight expert was clearly hoping to catch Yang Qi off guard with this sneak attack. The Humanoid True Energy bore down on him so quickly that before he could do anything, it hit his defensive true energy, then exploded in heaven-shaking, earth-shattering fashion, hewing out a massive crater in the ground.

The experts from the Chen Clan stopped in place, looking at the crater, and the toxic smoke that filled it. "Is he finally dead?"

"Third brother!" shouted Yang Yunchong and Yang Hualong.

"See, you dirty swine? Toxic Detonation is an energy art unique to the House of Shadowblight, and is something you clearly are incapable of dealing with." The experts from the House of Shadowblight all began to laugh loudly.

That was when a voice spoke out from the crater.

"Really? Seems to me that your House of Shadowblight energy arts are actually a bit weak!"

Even as Yang Qi's words echoed out, a blast of air swept the toxic energy out of the crater, even faster than the arrows and crossbow bolts he had shot out earlier.

"Not good!" shouted one of the House of Shadowblight experts. "Quick, hold your breaths!"

However, his cry came too late, as the toxic energy swept through the army, to be inhaled by more than a hundred soldiers. Miserable screams then erupted as they frothed at the mouth and clutched at their chests.

Some of the top experts from the Chen Clan had already activated their defensive true energy, and were thus protected from the toxic energy.

Flustered and exasperated, Chen Dalei shouted, "How could this be happening? Experts from the House of Shadowblight, do something!"

Everything was going completely wrong. The Chen Clan had come here with great fanfare, accompanied by the House of Shadowblight, all under the assumption that they would be able to wipe out the Yang Clan. They had even assumed that they would come out on top if Yang Zhan appeared. How could they ever have imagined that Yang Qi alone would not only stop them in their tracks, but would also kill so many of their soldiers?

"You're all going to die here today," Yang Qi said coldly, striding forward across the battlefield. "Nobody can save you."

So far, he had killed well over fifty soldiers, poisoned more than a hundred, and had crushed Chen Dahong into a bloody pulp. It was a chilling performance that would cause people to shiver even on the hottest day.

"Stop right there!" one of the experts from the House of Shadowblight said. "Do you know how powerful the House of Shadowblight is? We—"

WHOOSH!

Before he could even finish speaking, Yang Qi blurred into motion, trampling the limestone floor slabs like a herd of megamammoths. Experts from the Chen Clan lunged to block his path, but before any of them could get closer than ten paces, they were sent flying backward by his defensive true energy.

As for the expert from the House of Shadowblight, all he saw was a finger appear right in front of him, that then went on to stab him in the forehead.

POP!

His entire head exploded!

The leader of the group from the House of Shadowblight, the one who had just unleashed the Humanoid True Energy, was shocked to the core. "Arhat Greenblight! Y-y-you… you actually killed Arhat Greenblight? Do you have any idea of the consequences you will suffer?"

Yang Qi slowly turned to look at him. "Don't worry, you'll be dying next."

Six arms of true energy sprang into being behind him, performing a complex set of hand signs that caused massive waves of energy to shoot out toward the House of Shadowblight leader.

In response, the leader stamped his foot, causing his true energy to surge, spilling out to form a suit of scale armor.

"Mind Incarnation! Hundred Poisons Battle Armor!"

Each of the scales was as dark as night, and the suit in general had vicious-looking spikes everywhere. This level of defense clearly surpassed the Golden Bell Rampart that the leader of the other group from the House of Shadowblight had used.

Not only did the Hundred Poisons Battle Armor protect against all sorts of weapons, it also pulsed with true energy filled with a hundred poisons, making it particularly deadly when used in combat.

"Bring it on, swine!" the leader shouted.

However, before he could even make a move, Yang Qi accelerated to a speed ten times faster than before. Then, he summoned shadowy palms of true energy to mask his true killing move, which was a spear that came from the underworld. Instantly, that spear stabbed into the Hundred Poisons Battle Armor, and pierced into the heart of the leader from the House of Shadowblight.

Advertisements

Crackling sounds could be heard as the armor sloughed off, and the flame of the man's life force vanished, sucked away by the Infernal Deity Spear.

"How is this possible…? I'm… actually dying?"

The leader looked down at the spear stuck into his chest, an expression of disbelief on his face as a devilish will exterminated his soul. Then he toppled over onto his back.

"Go to hell," Yang Qi growled. Dispelling the Infernal Deity Spear, he stomped down onto the man's head, crushing it.

1. Chen Dahong: the Da means "great, grand, big" and the Hong means "red".

Sage Monarch

"Our leader is dead?"

"His energy arts were at the peak of the eighth phase! How could he be dead? Only a Master of Energy could possibly kill him!"

"Don't tell me that punk is a Master of Energy? How is that even possible? He's only eighteen. It's so rare for people to reach the Master of Energy level by eighteen that they're only seen once every thousand years."

"Go! Get out of here! We have to report this matter to the elders. With a body as powerful as his, they'll definitely send some experts to kill him and turn him into a blightpuppet."

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh!

The House of Shadowblight experts began to flee, using their energy arts to fly into the air at top speed.

All of them knew that they were no match for this eighteen-year-old.

"Where do you think you're going?" Yang Qi said, his voice echoing with thunderous fury. All of the enemy soldiers within three hundred paces of him were struck by the sound of his voice, and collapsed into unconsciousness.

As for their weapons, which had been summoned with energy arts, they were grabbed by Yang Qi and sent streaking high into the air. At a certain point, they turned and shot downward, stabbing directly into the backs of the fleeing experts from the House of Shadowblight.

Aaaiiiieee!Aaaiiiieee!Aaaiiiieee!Aaaiiiieee!

Advertisements

Screams ripped through the air as the House of Shadowblight people were shoved down out of the air. Not only were they killed, they were also pinned to the ground by the various weapons, and their dying howls were enough to chill one down to the bones.

At that point, Yang Qi pulled his foot out of the remains of their leader. Sending out a pulse of true energy, he removed the blood from his foot, as well as his clothing, leaving him free of any evidence of the killing he had just done.

Turning, he looked at the experts from the Chen Clan, a slight smile on his face. "Chen Dalei. Chen Dalong. Did you really think you could team up with the House of Shadowblight and wipe out the Yang Clan? What a joke! How about this: beg for your lives, acknowledge allegiance to the Yang Clan, and become our slaves. Do that, and the Chen Clan might not get exterminated today. Otherwise, we'll wipe you out of existence, down to your chickens and dogs."

Chen Dalong spat onto the ground in contempt. "Don't you see how many people we have? You think we're afraid of you? Listen, kid, the Chen Clan has deep roots in this city, and today, your clan is going to be exterminated."

Although his words came out sounding fairly impressive, his heart was pounding in anxiety. Yang Qi had just killed all the experts from the House of Shadowblight, and was obviously impervious to all sorts of weapons. And it still wasn't clear whether the Chen Clan could even hurt him.

In fact, all of the experts from the Chen Clan were on the verge of going crazy, and felt like screaming hysterically. The level of Yang Qi's energy arts completely surpassed anything they could have anticipated. It was akin to encountering a beggar in the street only to find that he was an emperor in disguise.

Who could have guessed that an eighteen-year-old would kill all of the experts who had been dispatched by the House of Shadowblight, and single-handedly hold off an army of a thousand? If word got out, it wouldn't just be a shock to Yanhaven, it would cause a windstorm of astonishment in the Rich-Lush Continent as a whole.

Yang Qi was definitely the kind of spectacular genius that only came along once every thousand years.

"Don't be so cocky, you little brat," Chen Dalei said sharply. Then he continued in a tone that seemed to resonate with reason and insight. "Let me ask you a question. How much true energy did you waste just now? I bet you look impressive on the outside, but are all dried up on the inside. There's no way you have any true energy left."

Other Chen Clan experts chimed in.

"Yeah, that's right. He must be completely drained of true energy! Let's attack him before he fills back up. We can definitely kill him!"

"Considering how many people he killed from the House of Shadowblight, they'll definitely view the Yang Clan as a mortal enemy from now on. Even if he survives today, they'll definitely track him down and kill him eventually."

"Kill him! He's definitely empty. We have to get him before he recharges!"

One particular expert in the Chen Clan, Chen Dazhen, simply couldn't hold back any longer. Hefting his spear, he sprang into motion, flying forward a hundred paces in a single move, aiming his spear directly at Yang Qi's chest. [1]

"Hundred Flowers Bloom!"

True energy erupted from the tip of the spear, taking the form of what appeared to be a hundred flowers, all in the process of blooming. This was a move from the Chen Clan's Hundred Flowers Spear Art, each move of which was like the dawn of spring, and was so miraculous it was hard to put into words.

"You morons think my true energy has run out?" Yang Qi said. "And you come at me with trash moves like that? I could kill scum like you a hundred times over without even starting to run low on true energy. I was honestly giving you a chance to get out of this with your lives. But since you seem set on dying, I'll accommodate you!"

RUMMMBLE!

Another massive blast of energy erupted out of him as he simply reached out and grabbed the spearhead, instantly dispelling all of the projections that had existed around it moments ago.

"How could this be happening?" Chen Dazhen blurted as he fell out of the sky, trying in vain to wrench his spear out of Yang Qi's hand.

In response, Yang Qi twisted his wrist, shattering the spear into countless fragments. As the splinters shot out, tearing into Chen Dazhen, he attempted to fall back, but before he could, a blur of motion rushed in his direction.

It almost looked like a megamammoth stomping down onto the ground, and instantly filled Chen Dazhen with a mass of intense vibrations. The blur passed through his body, through his bones, flesh, blood, and meridians, causing ripping sounds to fill his mind until his consciousness went black, and he toppled over, dead.

Even someone made of iron who was attacked by the power of five ancient megamammoths would be flattened, let alone someone whose body was made of flesh and blood.

Chen Dalei had finally come to realize that Yang Qi was like some unrivaled devil from ancient times, someone they simply couldn't stand up to. Not only did he have seemingly endless reserves of true energy, every move he unleashed was as barbaric and savage as a beast's.

In fact, Chen Dalei even wondered if Yang Qi was human, or if he had been possessed by some primeval creature.

"Run!" someone shouted. "Get out of here!"

"He's not human! He's a demon! We have to team up with the other clans in Yanhaven to slaughter him!" Everyone in the Chen Clan realized that they needed to flee.

"Retreat!" Chen Dalei called out coldly. Immediately, the soldiers formed into ranks, and the Chen Clan experts stepped forward, pooling their power to attack Yang Qi and give their army time to retreat.

"You think you're going to leave?" Yang Qi said, charging forward like a tiger or a dragon. One leap took him dozens of meters forward, and at the same time, his true energy spread out for hundreds of paces around him, creating a whirlwind of slaughter.

The flick of his finger sent out a spiraling bullet of energy which pierced into the armor of one of the soldiers, killing him instantly.

A palm strike from the Invincible King's Fist destroyed the meridians and blood vessels of ten soldiers.

"Net of Heaven!"

He threw out his hand, fingers splayed, sending true energy flying out like spider webs, creating a huge net that cut off all avenues of escape for the Chen Clan.

Chen Dalei wanted to retreat, but with that net in place, was completely stuck. Waving his hand, he sent a beam of sword energy slashing into the net, hoping to cut it open. However, the sword energy was as effective on the net as a knife was to water.

"Freakish hellion!" That was what all of the Chen Clan elders were thinking.

To them, he wasn't even human, but rather, some sort of monster. At the moment, they couldn't think of any other explanation for his current cultivation level other than that he had been possessed by a thousand-year-old demon.

It was in that moment that a burst of raucous laughter split the air, piercing so high into the sky that the clouds seemingly trembled.

Fuse one's energy with the clouds!

It was the sign of someone becoming a Master of Energy.

In the ninth phase, one became a grandmaster of energy arts, and in the moment it happened, one would fuse one's energy with the clouds, a sign of connecting with heaven and earth. Shockingly, someone was becoming a Master of Energy in this exact moment.

Yang Qi kept his energy flowing, powering the enormous web, keeping the experts of the Chen Clan and their army completely trapped. He was well aware that this phenomenon had appeared because his father had reached the Master of Energy level. Henceforth, it would be difficult for anyone to prevent the Yang Clan from advancing to new heights.

A rushing wind filled the air, and a voice spoke. "Qi'er, you're truly a delight. However, don't slaughter everyone. Keep some of them captive."

It was none other than Yang Zhan.

Even as his voice rang out, a figure appeared high above, striding forward without any sign of energy wings behind him.

Masters of Energy could speed through the sky without using wings!

That was the strength of the ninth phase!

RUMMMBLE!

The sight of Yang Zhan struck despair into the hearts of the Chen Clan experts. If they couldn't even deal with Yang Qi, then how could they possibly fight back against both him and Yang Zhan, who was now a Master of Energy?

"On your knees, Chen Dalei!"

Taking advantage of the lull caused by the shock of the moment, Yang Qi leapt forward and chopped his hand toward Chen Dalei.

Chen Dalei managed to defend himself, unleashing the energy arts of the Chen Clan to throw up a defensive barrier. Unfortunately for him, Yang Qi's attack completely slashed through that wall.

"Corpse-Chomping White Tiger!"

The head of a white tiger appeared, its maw gaping as it lunged forward. Chen Dalei was completely incapable of dodging, and after the tiger latched its jaws onto him, his true energy was instantly under the control of Yang Qi.

The name of the moveCorpse-Chomping White Tigercame because its ultimate function was to capture the opponent. Once the tiger chomped down onto the enemy, that person would become like a corpse, unable to move or do anything.

And that was exactly the state that Chen Dalei was in now.

He had led the clan for twenty years, but today, had been captured by someone from the younger generation of the Yang Clan. Anyone who learned of the news would be sure to sigh emotionally.

The other rich and powerful clans in Yanhaven were well aware of the conflict between the Chen and Yang Clans, and many of them had sent people to observe what happened, and hoped that both clans would come out bloodied and bruised.

Unexpectedly, the Chen Clan was completely routed, trounced by Yang Qi in a spectacular and almost unbelievable way.

Advertisements

In the past, people had taken Yang Qi to be a mere silkpants, someone who had brought his clan to ruin. But now, their image of him completely changed.

Now, he was simply overwhelmingly powerful.

In the shortest amounts of time, a silkpants had become an unrivaled, powerful expert. It seemed like a dream to many, and most people were unsure of what to make of it. They could only look at Yang Qi holding Chen Dalei in his grip, and wondered if they were looking at a human, or rather, at some sort of demon or devil.

Keeping Chen Dalei firmly in his grip, Yang Qi shouted in a thunderous voice, "Your clan lord is captured! Surrender immediately!"

1. Chen Dazhen: the Da means "big, great, grand" and Zhen means "shake, vibrate, jolt, quake".

The sound of Yang Qi's shout shook the Chen Clan soldiers' minds, making it impossible for them to resist his order.

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

The remaining six or seven hundred soldiers dropped their weapons and began to strip off their armor. Prostrating on the ground, they cried, "Spare us! Oh, exalted members of the Yang Clan, spare us! We're just hired soldiers, that's all."

"Spare us, please! We'll even join the Yang Clan!"

One of the fifth phase captains kowtowed over and over again, saying, "I have powerful kung fu! I've already broken into the Energy Eruption level. I'll work for the Yang Clan! Just spare my life."

Reaching the fifth phase of energy arts was no small accomplishment, and was something any clan would respect.

Yang Zhan snorted coldly and then spoke in a voice that filled the entire square. "Fine. You'll get your chance. Yunchong! Hualong! Have our men arrest everyone who surrendered. The talented and loyal ones may join us. The obstinate resistors shall be either crippled or executed. The mediocre ones can leave behind their armor and weapons and return to civilian life."

No one dared resist his orders. Such was the might of a Master of Energy.

Yang Yunchong and Yang Hualong immediately took charge of the Chen Clan forces, first identifying their leaders, and then starting to deal with the soldiers.

One particularly fierce soldier among the Chen Clan forces, who was apparently a member of one of their subsidiary branches, tried to resist. When Yang Qi saw that, he flicked his finger, sending a spiraling bullet of energy directly into the man's heart, killing him instantly. After that, the rest of the soldiers were very cooperative.

Advertisements

Before long, the hired soldiers were all in custody and taken away into the Yang Clan mansion. The only people left behind were the actual members of the Chen Clan, who were now surrounded by Yang Zhan, Yang Qi, as well as countless soldiers and other experts from the Yang clan.

At this point, one of the Chen Clan elders spoke out in a loud voice, "Our Chen Clan has subsidiary branches on the outside, as well as a council of chief elders. They're definitely not going to let this matter stand. You listen well, Yang Zhan. If you harm our clan lord, then you'll have a full-scale war on your hands."

"Bullcrap!" Yang Zhan shot back. "You're not going to back down until you're in a coffin, are you?!"

Suddenly, a dozen or so manifestations of Humanoid True Energy flashed into being, and then pounced on the Chen Clan elders.

The elders fought back with their energy arts, but couldn't stop the humanoids from entering their bodies and crushing both their meridians and seas of energy.

Within moments, their energy arts were crippled.

Faces ashen, they flopped to the ground.

Yang Qi was inwardly shaken.

He could see how powerful a Master of Energy cultivation base really was. Obviously, his father already surpassed him in terms of power, to the point where his own energy arts didn't even compare.

'So, this is a Master of Energy? After cultivating all the way to the ninth phase, one's true energy capacity, techniques, and strength will all undergo incredible transformations. The peak of the eighth phase isn't even close to being comparable to the Master of Energy level. I could kill someone in the peak of the eighth phase, but if I want to deal with a Master of Energy, I would need to make even more progress.'

After killing so many experts from the Chen Clan, it was a foregone conclusion that Yan Gufeng would be shocked, and would not be very happy with the Yang Clan. When the time came for conflict with the Yan Clan, Yang Qi knew that if they weren't stronger, they would suffer the same fate as the Chen Clan, and be crushed out of existence.

After crippling the energy arts of all the Chen Clan elders, Yang Zhan said, "Qi'er, you take our army over to the Chen Clan and pillage their headquarters! I want the Chen Clan completely expunged from Yanhaven!"

"Yes, father," Yang Qi said. Grabbing Chen Dalei by the arm, he continued, "Well, I guess you'll be coming with me. You definitely know where all the treasure is hidden. Men, come with me. Let's go!"

In response, the soldiers sprang into action, heading directly toward the Chen Clan. Even some of the clan servants came along. The Chen Clan elders were all crippled now, so it would be a big waste to leave their clan's wealth untouched.

As Yang Qi led the army through the streets, he dragged Chen Dalei along with him and shouted, "Listen up, clans of Yanhaven. This is a personal matter between the Yang Clan and the Chen Clan. If anybody interferes, if any clan tries to take advantage of the situation, I'll slaughter you without mercy!"

The peddlers on the streets, as well as the ordinary citizens, scrambled to get out of the way. However, there were some individuals within the restaurants along the way who stepped out curiously to see the Yang Clan's army passing by.

"Conflicts between clans really are bloody affairs. I wonder how many heads will be lost today." That was what most of them were thinking.

In one particular nine-story restaurant, the events were being discussed by a group of noteworthy individuals.

This restaurant was the Four Seas Bistro, a well-known location in Yanhaven.

It was operated by the Four Seas Consortium, which wasn't based in Yanhaven itself. Actually, they had branches in thousands and thousands of cities throughout the lands. They specialized in selling food and alcohol that replenished one's energy and blood, and could aid in energy arts recovery. They also sold uniquely flavored spirit medicines and demonling meat. Unfortunately, they charged exorbitant prices to cover the costs of their extravagant services, and thus were only patronized by very rich individuals.

At one particular table, three young men and two young women were seated. The young men were handsome and nonchalant, and the young women, as beautiful as flowers. Clearly, this particularly eye-catching group of people were by no means ordinary.

In fact, certain unsavory characters seemed to be keeping an eye on the young women, as if they harbored illicit designs on them. However, anyone with a bit of insight would realize that they were not to be trifled with; they obviously belonged to some large sect or organization.

Spread out on their table were the finest foods and wines. There were fillets of dragonpool greenspring demonling fish, deepsea four-clawed floodwyrm limbs, all sorts of alcohols fermented from magical mushrooms, as well as king of ginseng soup…. It was a meal that definitely cost no less than five or six thousand energy convergence pills, which was equivalent to a year's income for an ordinary clan. [1]

One of the young men downed a glass of magical mushroom wine, savored the flavor for a moment, and then said, "I almost can't believe this is happening, Junior Sister. Yanhaven's Yang Clan has wiped out the Chen Clan, and is going to pillage their headquarters. It's too bad we missed the fight. If we had known it was coming, we could have gone to watch."

"Did you see the heavenly phenomenon, Elder Brother?" one of the young women said. "That wasfuse one's energy with the clouds, which means that some expert reached the Master of Energy level. And look at that little punk Yang Qi, the one leading the Yang Clan troops to pillage the Chen Clan. He seems pretty powerful."

A look of scorn could be seen on another of the young men's face. "Hmph!What a frog in a well. Doesn't know the height of the heavens and the breadth of the earth. I could kill a whole group of people like him without even trying. This fight between the Yang and Chen Clans is nothing more than a fight between a bunch of country bumpkins. It's not even worth looking at. This inspection tour we've been sent on to the eighty-one southern cities has been a real bore. Turns out they're all dying to found their own nations. It seems the Sage Ancestor Dynasty is getting weaker and weaker. War is coming, that's for sure."

The other young woman nodded. "That means our House of Spring and Autumn has a good opportunity coming our way. Whenever royal dynasties enter periods of unrest, the vassals rise up and heroes abound. It's the perfect chance for a sect revolution as well! We aren't one of the four great institutes, but if war comes, we might have a chance to overthrow one and take their place."

One of the young men said, "We should get a piece of the action here in Yanhaven. We might be out in the middle of nowhere, but the Chen Clan is still rich. Even old boats can still be scavenged. They definitely have some treasures hidden away. Let's hurry over before that punk from the Yang Clan gets there. That'll cut him down a notch or two. What do you say?"

"Sure, why not. The Chen Clan will probably have something worth taking. What's the harm in lining our own pockets a bit? With some more wealth, we can grease the wheels a bit easier when we get back to our sect."

"Alright, let's do it. Boss, bring the check!"

With that, they paid their bill with banknotes and then left the restaurant.

"What do we do if Yang Qi gets there before us?"

"Simple. If he dares to resist the House of Spring and Autumn, we kill him! If this crappy Yang Clan tries to take us out, they'll find that it's about as effective as throwing an egg at a rock."

Yang Qi was already at the entrance of the Chen Clan.

Their mansion headquarters was vast and sprawling, well-fortified, with iron-bound gates in front. By now, the remaining experts of the Chen Clan had already learned of the big defeat, and had closed the main gate. Archers lined the battlements with arrows nocked, and messenger pigeons were flying this way and that, carrying news of the situation to numerous other locations.

Just like the Yang Clan, the Chen Clan had many subsidiary branches, as well as chief elders practicing cultivation in a secret location. Now that the main branch was on the brink of being wiped out, it was only natural that they would send out calls for help.

Of course, there was no way Yang Qi would give them that chance. Lifting up Chen Dalei, he announced, "Listen up, Chen Clan. I have your clan lord right here. If you don't surrender immediately, I'll kill him, break down the gate, and slaughter everyone you have inside, even the chickens and dogs."

"Ha!" came an angry voice from inside. "There's no way you can wipe out the Chen Clan. We've already notified the chief elders. They'll be here in a matter of days, and will cleanse your Yang Clan with fresh blood!"

"Pig-headed fools!" Yang Qi growled. He reached out with his hand and made a grasping gesture, which resulted in an enormous stone guardian lion, as tall as four people, to suddenly rise into the air.

RUMMMBLE!

That stone lion weighed no less than five thousand pounds, and yet, it soared through the air like a comet before smashing a hole into the wall of the clan mansion. No defenses could stand up to something like that.

Advertisements

"Attack!" Yang Qi shouted. Keeping his grip on Chen Dalei, he charged forward, leading all of the experts and soldiers forward in attack. As for the ten or so sixth phase experts in the Chen Clan, they were all cut down with impunity.

As for the several hundred soldiers present, and the servants, they didn't put up any fight whatsoever, nor did the screaming women and children.

The entire affair lasted for less time than it takes an incense stick to burn.

"Lock this place down tight," Yang Qi said to his experts. "Don't let anyone in or out. Tie everyone up and start pillaging this place!"

1. What I am calling 'floodwyrm' in this story is what is often translated as 'flood dragon' in other stories. There is a reason for this that I will explain later on when floodwyrms become important

Sage Monarch

At a single word from Yang Qi, the Yang Clan's soldiers and servants, more than a thousand people in total, swiftly and decisively began to search the entire mansion. First, they rounded up all the soldiers, servants, womenfolk and children, and held them in the central square at crossbow-point. If they tried to do anything, they could be put to death instantly.

Next, they began to pull out all the treasure and wealth present in the clan.

Any rich and powerful clan would have storehouses full of demon cores, demonling pelts, medicinal pills, jewels, metals and ores. Many such things weren't in raw form but had been crafted into various luxury objects such as jewelry or furniture.

When Yang Qi saw the demon cores and medicinal pills piling up, he nodded in satisfaction. The level of wealth here was enough to completely replenish what the Yang Clan had lost.

When Chen Dalei saw his clan being cleared out, he couldn't take it any longer and coughed up a huge mouthful of blood.

"Don't start coughing up blood now, Chen Dalei! I know that you have secret treasure stores." Yang Qi chuckled. "Hurry up and spit out the details. If you do, I might spare your life."

"Yang Qi, you villain! I'll die before I say anything. I'll never submit to a little bastard like you!" Chen Dalei didn't seem willing to back down in the least bit.

"Not gonna talk!? Very stubborn I see. Fine, I guess I'll just cripple your energy arts and ask someone else. I doubt everyone will be as tight-lipped as you." Eyes flashing with sinister light, Yang Qi drew on his energy and prepared to strike Chen Dalei in the stomach.

"Don't!" Chen Dalei shrieked, his eyes radiating terror. "Don't cripple my martial arts! I'll tell you where the treasure stores are. There's a painting in my room that has all the secret tunnels painted on it in code."

When it came to clan wealth versus personal strength, Chen Dalei knew which choice to make. In a world where respect was earned through strength, as long as you were strong, you could always get up in the world. But no amount of wealth could protect you if you weren't strong enough. Considering the situation, Chen Dalei's best option was to buy time until the chief elders arrived. Handing over a bit of wealth to stay alive until then would definitely be worth it. After all, the Yang Clan had already earned their face and taken the treasure. Besides, the Chen Clan's chief elders were not the type to be trifled with, and the Yang Clan elders might not necessarily want to end up in a fight to the death.

Advertisements

In response, Yang Qi said, "Yang Lei, get over here!"

One of the soldiers stepped forward, a man in the sixth phase. He was a bastard son of the clan, but was talented in cultivation, and had thus risen to a leadership rank in the army. In the past, Yang Lei had disdained Yang Qi, but now, it was exactly the opposite. Dropping to his knee respectfully, he said, "Yes, Third Young Master?"

"Head to the clan lord's room and search it thoroughly."

Before long, Yang Lei found the painting in the room, which depicted all the secret tunnels leading to the treasure stores.

"Plunder all those storerooms!" Yang Qi ordered. Instantly, hundreds of soldiers began to make their way into the depths of the Chen Clan mansion, scouring one hidden room after another. The gold, jade, and other valuable objects they found nearly caused them to cough up vital energy.

At one point, Yang Lei hurried over and said, "Third Young Master, there's one particularly large chamber in this direction."

"Alright, let's go search it." Yang Qi headed deep into the Chen Clan mansion through a large tunnel. All sorts of precious jewels and pearls could be seen on the ground, but close examination revealed that many of them were booby-trapped with vicious snares and pitfalls. Pits, arrows, cages, darts… there almost seemed no end.

Thankfully, the map they had found included the information about the traps, making it as easy for them to traverse the tunnel as if they were walking down a simple path.

"Third Young Master, there's a treasure storehouse at the end of this tunnel. We already opened the door, but haven't taken any of the treasure. We wanted to make sure you had a chance to take inventory first. There are also three granaries filled with energy convergence pills that you should inspect. At the very least, there are around ten million energy convergence pills." Yang Lei seemed to be bubbling with excitement at how the Yang Clan was finally on the path to glory again.

Yang Qi simply strode down the tunnel casually. Even if traps sprung, he had the power of five ancient megamammoths, putting him at almost the level of a Master of Energy. Therefore, a few puny traps were of little concern to him.

At the end of the tunnel, there was a metal door fully three inches thick, beyond which was a room of sparkling pearls and jewels.

There were also plenty of ingredients needed to make luxury items, as well as demon cores, all of them of the highest quality. In one location was a stash of medicinal pills, stored in a box crafted of cold jade, designed for replenishing energy and blood, and also increasing intelligence and latent talents.

The most common type of medicinal pill were energy convergence pills, which were often used like food among people who cultivated energy arts. However, there were also various miraculous pills with unique qualities.

For example, there was the Golden Nine Transformations Pill that Yang Qi had acquired in the past.

Like many other things, medicinal pills were classed according to their quality.

Yang Qi had seen low, mid, and high-grade pills, but never anything beyond that. He had only heard of such things. Even the Golden Nine Transformations Pill he had acquired was only high-grade, although that meant it was very difficult to produce.

Energy convergence pills, of which there were many types, were low-grade.

Everything in this treasure storehouse was mid-grade or high-grade, which went to show the spectacular reserves the Chen Clan had built up. There were demon cores from both seventh and eighth phase demonlings, each of which was worth hundreds of thousands or even millions.

"What's that?" Yang Qi said, looking toward the center of the storehouse, where there was a statue of some sort of deity, with all sorts of spirits prostrating to it. It was none other than the founding ancestor of the Chen Clan, upon whose chest hung a mirror carved from jade. Its lustrous surface was carved with lightning, clouds, dragons and tigers, all of which were very lifelike and made it seem like it was a window into another world.

Yang Qi took the mirror and then forced Chen Dalei to explain what it was.

"Chiliocosm Mirror! It's our Chiliocosm Mirror!" [1]

After all, Yang Qi had Chen Dalei thoroughly under control, and could make him live a life worse than death if he wanted to. When Chen Dalei saw that precious treasure being ripped off of the statue of his clan's most revered founding ancestor, he shook physically, and yet could do absolutely nothing in response.

"What does it do?"

"It's a precious treasure that has been handed down from generation to generation in the Chen Clan. You can use it to reveal the weaknesses of any sort of martial discipline. Just look into it, practice your forms, and the mirror will correct the mistakes…."

"Well, that could be useful. Correct the flaws in one's martial disciplines…?"

Yang Qi put the mirror away. Although he was fairly sure Chen Dalei was hiding more information, he didn't feel like squabbling at the moment.

"Clear this place out!"

"Aaaiiiieee!"

Even as the words left his mouth, he heard an agonized shriek from upstairs. It was faint, but his ears were remarkably sensitive, and he could tell that it came from one of his clan's soldiers.

'What happened?'

Instantly, he became a streak of motion that headed back to the tunnel.

As soon as he reached the door, he saw a dozen or so soldiers whose tendons had been severed and were now laying on the ground, unable to move. The perpetrator was a group of five young people, specifically, three men and two women. One of the young men held a long sword in his hand, that he was currently pointing at the heart of one of the captains among the soldiers.

"Listen, scum. Get your third young master out here. I have some questions for him."

One of the young women detected Yang Qi's arrival, and quickly said, "He's already here, Elder Brother."

Five pairs of eyes immediately came to rest on Yang Qi.

The young man with the sword lifted his chin and stared coldly at Yang Qi, the way that an emperor would one of his lowly subjects.

"You're Yang Qi?" he asked. "Here to plunder the Chen Clan?"

Yang Qi looked them up and down but couldn't tell who they were or where they were from. "Yeah, I'm Yang Qi. Who are you people? And why have you hurt my men?"

The young man let out a harrumph. "These scum, these people who are lower than slaves, dared to block my path. The fact that I didn't kill them is actually giving a lot of face to your clan. We're disciples from the House of Spring and Autumn." The young man swept his sword through the air, causing droplets of blood to fly off of it. "We're just passing through Yanhaven, and are a bit short on funds. Since you're plundering this clan, we decided to come ask for some spare change. How about this: give us all of the Chen Clan's valuable treasures, and we'll write you a receipt. If you have any problems in the future, you can just contact the House of Spring and Autumn and say we sent you. This little bit of wealth can establish you a connection to the House of Spring and Autumn, and if you ask around, everyone knows that we take care of our friends."

'House of Spring and Autumn?' Yang Qi thought. He knew that they were a big, domineering sect in the Rich-Lush Continent. Although they weren't powerful enough to be called an institute, they were by no means weak. They were even more powerful than the House of Shadowblight, so much so that the Yang Clan couldn't even compare to them. In fact, all the clans of Yanhaven put together would still be meaningless to them.

Not even ten Yanhavens could equal the House of Spring and Autumn.

In response to Yang Qi's silence, the young people laughed.

Then, one of the young men noticed the Chiliocosm Mirror Yang Qi held, and was shaken inwardly.

"Is that mirror made from Nine Heavens godjade?" he asked. "What's a treasure like that doing here? Hand it over."

"What? Nine Heavens godjade?"

"Something from the Nine Heavens?"

"Some divine jade that fell from the heavens? How could something like that be here?" All five of these young people were shaken to the core by what they were seeing.

"Alright, brat," the young man with the sword said. "Hand over that mirror as tribute to us, this instant."

"You wouldn't even be able to use that thing," another of the young men added, "and what's more, it will definitely bring trouble your way. Divine objects like that belong in the hands of people like us, from mighty sects like the House of Spring and Autumn. You don't have the character or quality to deserve to touch it."

"Exactly," one of the young women said, shaking her head. "You would never be able to use divine jade. Hand it over to usright now. And give us the rest of the Chen Clan's wealth as well. From now on, your Yang Clan can be considered servants of the House of Spring and Autumn. Don't worry, we'll take care of you going forward."

Flicking his hand impatiently, one of the young men said, "What are you waiting for, punk? We've already promised to let your clan be our servants. This is probably the best thing that will ever happen to you in your entire life. Hand over that treasure and then kowtow to us in thanks! Oh, your father just became a Master of Energy, right? Call him over to offer us thanks as well."

As far as these people from the House of Spring and Autumn were concerned, the people of the Yang Clan were little more than nouveau riche country folk, people that they could frighten easily into submission.

"Really? Kowtow in thanks?" Yang Qi suddenly seemed to stand even more straight and tall than before. "You House of Spring and Autumn disciples are pretty aggressive, aren't you? Fine. Prepare to go to hell."

His words were spoken so coldly that, despite the burning sun overhead, it felt like the dead of winter in the Chen Clan mansion. Everyone could feel the killing intent swirling around them.

"What?"

Advertisements

The disciples from the House of Spring and Autumn almost couldn't believe their ears. As for the young man with the sword, he said, "What did you just say? I dare you to repeat it!"

However, Yang Qi didn't say a single word. He responded with action.

RUMBLE!

A fist strike roared like the wind directly toward the young man's throat.

1. Chiliocosm is a term from Buddhism which means'a collection of many worlds'.